About one in four people in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Pittsburg County, 22.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pittsburg County's score
In Pittsburg County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.5. Jobs come next, at 77.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pittsburg County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Pittsburg County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,668 · 202483rd percentile
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- 77.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.2 · 202558th percentile
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- 68.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.5% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Pittsburg County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Pittsburg County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pittsburg County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pittsburg County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 37% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Pittsburg County getting SNAP food aid rose to 18.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 15.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.
How Pittsburg County has changed
Pittsburg County's population had its largest rise, from 40,651 in 1989 to 43,219 in 1994.
Pittsburg County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 45,887 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Pittsburg County had its largest rise, from 13,691 in 2000 to 15,859 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Pittsburg County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 17,153 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,306 | 2024 $54,668 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pittsburg County's history
1870
Miners from Pennsylvania arrived in McAlester in the 1870s to work in coal mines. Wikipedia
1872
Coal deposits discovered in Perryville area, claimed by J.J. McAlester and leased to Osage Coal and Mining Company in 1888. Wikipedia
1874
Italian miners arrived in McAlester in 1874. Wikipedia
1907
Formed July 16, 1907, as an original county from Choctaw land. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 52,570. The 2020 Census counted 43,773, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1920
Coal mining declined after 1920 and was no longer reported by 1966. Wikipedia
1942
U.S. Navy built ammunition depot at McAlester during World War II, employed 8,000 people in 1945. Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in June 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in April 2019 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in January 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pittsburg County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pittsburg County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pittsburg County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pittsburg County ranks 6th of the eight; McIntosh County is highest, at 45.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McIntosh County, OK | 93 | 18.9% | 45.9% |
| Hughes County, OK | 88 | 22.4% | 31.7% |
| Latimer County, OK | 87 | 21.1% | 44.8% |
| Haskell County, OK | 84 | 20.9% | 40.1% |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 83 | 18.8% | 34.3% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 82 | 18.8% | 44.8% |
| Atoka County, OK | 80 | 19.5% | 36.4% |
| Coal County, OK | 65 | 18.6% | 33.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Pittsburg County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Pittsburg County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 26th highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Pittsburg County ranks 21st of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pittsburg County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Pittsburg County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Pittsburg County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.