In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks make up only 18 cents of every dollar of income
In Allegheny County, 17.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Allegheny County's score
In Allegheny County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 26.0. About one in 26 people (3.8%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Allegheny 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.
Allegheny County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
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- 47.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.4% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people146.6 · 202558th percentile
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- 38.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,878 · 202419th 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 Allegheny 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 Allegheny County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Allegheny County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Allegheny County rose most sharply from its first year (8.5% in 1969) to 11.9% in 1974.
In Allegheny County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; 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 Allegheny County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 13.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 9.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
How Allegheny County has changed
Allegheny County's population had its largest drop, from 1,606,592 in 1969 to 1,525,950 in 1974.
Allegheny County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,231,814
High on the chart: 1,606,592 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Allegheny County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 685,508 in 2015 to 644,385 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Allegheny County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 709,981 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,298 | 2024 $80,878 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Allegheny County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 1,628,587. The 2020 Census counted 1,250,578, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
1963
A tornado in August 1963 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $41 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Allegheny County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Allegheny County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Allegheny County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Allegheny County ranks 4th of the five; Beaver County is highest, at 27.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 34 | 11.7% | 17.8% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
| Butler County, PA | 9 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
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 Allegheny County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Allegheny County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 35th highest of 67 in Pennsylvania (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Forest County, at 22.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Allegheny County ranks 42nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Allegheny 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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Advantage Credit Counseling Service
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Credit.org - Pittsburgh, PA Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Mon Valley Initiative
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborhood Legal Services Association
Legal aid
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Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)
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 Allegheny 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 Allegheny County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.