About one in five people with a credit file in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Armstrong County, 19.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 64% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Armstrong County's score
In Armstrong County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 39.1. About one in six renters (16.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 60% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Armstrong 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.
Armstrong 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.
- 53.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.5% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.1 · 202552nd percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.4% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,472 · 202459th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.2% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 39.1 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 rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202739th 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County, 24.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Armstrong County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Armstrong County had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 1969 to 15.9% in 1974.
In Armstrong County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Armstrong County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.0% in 2009 to 12.4% in 2011, 1.2 points each year.
The share of households in Armstrong County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.6%
High on the chart: 15.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
How Armstrong County has changed
Armstrong County's population had its largest drop, from 77,198 in 1984 to 73,700 in 1989.
Armstrong County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 78,064 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Armstrong County fell 15% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 19,340 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,514 | 2024 $63,472 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Armstrong County's history
1756
Battle of Kittanning in 1756 during French and Indian War, village destroyed by John Armstrong Sr. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 81,087. The 2020 Census counted 65,558, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in September 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Heavy rain in May 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in October 2024 did $2,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Armstrong County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Armstrong County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Armstrong County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Armstrong County ranks 4th of the six; Clarion County is highest, at 31.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana County, PA | 51 | 16.0% | 30.0% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 39 | 12.4% | 26.8% |
| Clarion County, PA | 36 | 11.8% | 31.7% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
| 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 Armstrong County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Armstrong County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 29th 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, Armstrong County ranks 35th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Armstrong 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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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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.