About one in four people in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, has a disability
In Cameron County, 23.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cameron County's score
In Cameron County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.9. Unemployment averaged 5.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 59.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cameron 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.
Cameron County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.2%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (2.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 59.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability23.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance2.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,595 · 202479th percentile
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- 54.4 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.2% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 27.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.5 · 202518th 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 Cameron 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 Cameron County, 29.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cameron County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cameron County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 36.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Cameron County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 36.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cameron County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 2019 to 23.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Cameron County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 26.8%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 26.8% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.
How Cameron County has changed
Cameron County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1999 to 2004, reaching 5,535. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Cameron County had its largest drop, from 2,640 in 2005 to 2,131 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Cameron County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 2,819 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,950 | 2024 $56,595 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Cameron County's history
1860
Created March 29, 1860, from parts of Clinton, Elk, McKean, and Potter counties. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 7,644. The 2020 Census counted 4,547, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cameron County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cameron County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cameron County, one scores higher. Of the group, Cameron County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKean County, PA | 57 | 14.3% | 30.8% |
| Cameron County, PA | 50 | 12.7% | 36.6% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 46 | 14.9% | 27.2% |
| Clinton County, PA | 43 | 14.8% | 29.6% |
| Potter County, PA | 43 | 13.9% | 32.8% |
| Elk County, PA | 17 | 10.0% | 29.1% |
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 Cameron County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Cameron County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 26th 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, Cameron County ranks 22nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cameron 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 Cameron 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 Cameron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.