Pennsylvania County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 45.8. 2 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Pennsylvania Snapshot
67 Counties Scored
45.8 Mean Score
45.5 Median Score
79.4 Philadelphia County Most Distressed
21.1 Chester County Least Distressed
2 high county distress6 moderate-high county distress16 moderate county distress24 moderate-low county distress14 low-moderate county distress5 low county distress
Score Label Distribution Pennsylvania County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 67 Pennsylvania counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Pennsylvania's 67 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Pennsylvania Counties
67 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 160 | Philadelphia County | 79.4 | high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 403 | Fayette County | 72.3 | high county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 531 | Monroe County | 69.3 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 580 | Luzerne County | 68.5 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 895 | Pike County | 62.6 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 942 | Lackawanna County | 61.8 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 960 | Lehigh County | 61.5 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 8 | 961 | Carbon County | 61.5 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,149 | Berks County | 58.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 1,188 | Greene County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 11 | 1,202 | Cameron County | 57.0 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 12 | 1,218 | Dauphin County | 56.7 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 1,258 | Erie County | 56.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 14 | 1,312 | Cambria County | 55.1 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 15 | 1,336 | Schuylkill County | 54.7 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 1,391 | Delaware County | 53.6 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 1,467 | McKean County | 52.4 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 18 | 1,526 | Mercer County | 51.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 19 | 1,532 | Lawrence County | 51.2 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 20 | 1,558 | Venango County | 50.6 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 21 | 1,569 | Jefferson County | 50.4 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 22 | 1,575 | Indiana County | 50.4 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 23 | 1,578 | Clinton County | 50.3 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 24 | 1,581 | Northampton County | 50.3 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 1,613 | Columbia County | 49.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 26 | 1,622 | Lycoming County | 49.4 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 27 | 1,637 | Beaver County | 49.1 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 28 | 1,642 | Blair County | 49.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 29 | 1,707 | Forest County | 47.9 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 30 | 1,770 | Clarion County | 46.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 31 | 1,819 | Northumberland County | 46.0 | moderate-low county distress | Delinquency |
| 32 | 1,828 | Clearfield County | 45.8 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 33 | 1,845 | Crawford County | 45.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 34 | 1,857 | Tioga County | 45.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 35 | 1,903 | Potter County | 44.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 36 | 1,942 | Wayne County | 43.8 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 37 | 1,954 | Lebanon County | 43.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 38 | 1,964 | Allegheny County | 43.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 39 | 2,015 | York County | 42.5 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 40 | 2,043 | Wyoming County | 41.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 41 | 2,068 | Bradford County | 41.4 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 42 | 2,081 | Susquehanna County | 41.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 43 | 2,097 | Franklin County | 40.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,099 | Armstrong County | 40.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 45 | 2,121 | Somerset County | 40.4 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 46 | 2,123 | Westmoreland County | 40.4 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,125 | Mifflin County | 40.3 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 48 | 2,145 | Warren County | 40.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 49 | 2,165 | Washington County | 39.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 50 | 2,193 | Perry County | 39.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,211 | Bedford County | 38.8 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 52 | 2,246 | Huntingdon County | 37.9 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 53 | 2,339 | Juniata County | 36.1 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 54 | 2,383 | Lancaster County | 35.2 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 2,396 | Adams County | 34.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 56 | 2,449 | Centre County | 33.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 57 | 2,482 | Fulton County | 33.1 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 2,495 | Cumberland County | 32.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 59 | 2,507 | Sullivan County | 32.7 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 60 | 2,583 | Bucks County | 30.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 61 | 2,597 | Elk County | 30.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 62 | 2,616 | Snyder County | 30.2 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 63 | 2,660 | Montour County | 28.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 2,705 | Montgomery County | 28.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 65 | 2,725 | Butler County | 27.4 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 66 | 2,766 | Union County | 26.1 | low county distress | Labor |
| 67 | 2,937 | Chester County | 21.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Pennsylvania counties
very high county distress — 0 Pennsylvania counties
high county distress — 2 Pennsylvania counties
moderate-high county distress — 6 Pennsylvania counties
moderate county distress — 16 Pennsylvania counties
moderate-low county distress — 24 Pennsylvania counties
low-moderate county distress — 14 Pennsylvania counties
low county distress — 5 Pennsylvania counties
very low county distress — 0 Pennsylvania counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Pennsylvania counties