In Carbon County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Carbon County, 32.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carbon County's score
In Carbon County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 59.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carbon 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.
Carbon County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (11.3%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.9% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.7 · 202568th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.9% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,998 · 202449th 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 Carbon 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 Carbon 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
Carbon County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carbon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Carbon County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.5%; 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 Carbon County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 15.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2021, reaching 14.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
How Carbon County has changed
Carbon County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 65,204. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Carbon County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 16,937 in 2015 to 14,326 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Carbon County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 16,937 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,575 | 2024 $66,998 |
The table uses 4.6% 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 Carbon County's history
1755
Moravian settlement at Gnadenhutten attacked by Indians 1755. Wikipedia
1788
Lehigh Gap settlement failed, colonizers abandoned and returned a decade later. Wikipedia
1791
Anthracite coal first discovered in 1791. Wikipedia
1792
Lehigh Coal Mine Company exploitation started 1792. Wikipedia
1843
March 13, 1843 (Divided from Northampton County ). Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $2.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 65,249. The 2020 Census counted 64,749, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
Lightning in August 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carbon County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carbon County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Carbon County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carbon County ranks 3rd of the six; Schuylkill County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Northampton County, PA | 40 | 8.8% | 20.4% |
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 Carbon County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Carbon County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 40th 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, Carbon County ranks 6th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carbon 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 Carbon 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 Carbon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.