About one in nine people in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Beaver County, 11.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Beaver County's score
In Beaver County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 30.5. About one in 26 people (3.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Beaver 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.
Beaver 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.
- 59.0 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.5% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.7 · 202557th percentile
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- 46.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,077 · 202432nd 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 Beaver 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 Beaver County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Beaver County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Beaver County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Beaver County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Beaver County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.7% in 2010 to 12.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Beaver County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.8%
High on the chart: 13.9% 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, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
How Beaver County has changed
Beaver County's population fell by about a fifth to 165,540, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 185,703. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Beaver County had its largest rise, from 52,462 in 1995 to 57,220 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Beaver County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 57,220 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,788 | 2024 $73,077 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Beaver County's history
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 208,418. The 2020 Census counted 168,215, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A thunderstorm in May 1985 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $7.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Beaver County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Beaver County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Beaver County, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Beaver County ranks 4th of the seven; Columbiana County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, WV | 75 | 13.6% | 31.6% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 69 | 14.7% | 32.4% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 59 | 14.3% | 30.7% |
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 34 | 11.7% | 17.8% |
| 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 Beaver County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Beaver County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 41st 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, Beaver County ranks 27th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Beaver 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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Housing Opportunities, Inc.
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 Beaver 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 Beaver County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.