About one in five people with a credit file in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Clearfield 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 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clearfield County's score
In Clearfield County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 61.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 32.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 85.6 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clearfield 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, Clearfield County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.2% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,276 · 202467th percentile
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- 51.5 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 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.3% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 49.8 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 45.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 32.5 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 people85.6 · 202528th 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 Clearfield 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 Clearfield County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clearfield County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clearfield County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.4% in 2004 to 28.4% in 2009.
In Clearfield County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clearfield County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.0% in 2013 to 16.1% in 2014.
The share of households in Clearfield County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.2%
High on the chart: 19.3% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
How Clearfield County has changed
Clearfield County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 78,361 in 1974 to 83,564 in 1979.
Clearfield County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2019, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 83,564 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Clearfield County rose most sharply from its first year (26,838 in 1990) to 30,674 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Clearfield County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 31,793 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,932 | 2024 $61,276 |
The table uses 4.6% 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 Clearfield County's history
1917
Lumber floated down West Branch Susquehanna until 1917. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 103,236. The 2020 Census counted 80,562, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A thunderstorm in July 2021 did $8,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clearfield County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clearfield County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Clearfield County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clearfield County ranks 8th of the nine; Cameron County is highest, at 36.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria County, PA | 51 | 14.5% | 35.3% |
| Indiana County, PA | 51 | 16.0% | 30.0% |
| Cameron County, PA | 50 | 12.7% | 36.6% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 46 | 14.9% | 27.2% |
| Clinton County, PA | 43 | 14.8% | 29.6% |
| Blair County, PA | 42 | 12.0% | 28.2% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| Centre County, PA | 18 | 14.3% | 17.5% |
| 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 Clearfield County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Clearfield County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 7th 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, Clearfield County ranks 26th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clearfield 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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MidPenn Legal Services
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 Clearfield 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 Clearfield County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.