About one in six people with a credit file in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Clarion County, 17.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clarion County's score
In Clarion County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 28.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clarion 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.
Even so, Clarion County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.8 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 rent22.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 42.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,755 · 202468th percentile
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- 31.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.6 · 202529th 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 Clarion 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 Clarion County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clarion County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clarion County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Clarion County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.7%; 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 Clarion County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 15.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 13.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.
How Clarion County has changed
Clarion County's population had its largest rise, from 38,307 in 1969 to 40,797 in 1974.
Clarion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 43,058 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Clarion County had its largest rise, from 12,924 in 1995 to 14,546 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Clarion County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 15,171 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,151 | 2024 $60,755 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Clarion County's history
1859
Oil struck 1859, wildcatting began. Wikipedia
1861
Early petroleum industry crashed 1861. Wikipedia
1978
A tornado in July 1978 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 43,362. The 2020 Census counted 37,241, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 did $75 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarion County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clarion County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clarion County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clarion County ranks 3rd of the six; Forest County is highest, at 49.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venango County, PA | 51 | 13.2% | 37.9% |
| Forest County, PA | 44 | 22.8% | 49.6% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 39 | 12.4% | 26.8% |
| Clarion County, PA | 36 | 11.8% | 31.7% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| 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 Clarion County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Clarion County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 34th 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, Clarion County ranks 37th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clarion 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 Clarion 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 Clarion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.