In Clinton County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Clinton County, 18.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clinton County's score
In Clinton County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 62.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 25.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 39.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clinton 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.
Clinton 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.
- 62.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.0% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,983 · 202452nd percentile
-
- 57.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
-
- 47.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.3% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
-
- 36.5 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 rent17.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
-
- 26.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people39.9 · 20255th percentile
-
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 Clinton 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 Clinton County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clinton County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clinton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Clinton County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2022 to 17.0% in 2023.
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 17.0%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 17.0% 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, Clinton County, Pennsylvania.
How Clinton County has changed
Clinton County's population fell most sharply after its 2014 high, from 39,230 in 2014 to 37,736 in 2019.
Clinton County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 39,230 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clinton County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,741, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 12,890 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clinton County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,653 | 2024 $65,983 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Clinton County's history
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 39,238. The 2020 Census counted 37,450, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 did $2.1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in October 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1972
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clinton County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clinton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Clinton County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clinton County ranks 3rd of the seven; Cameron County is highest, at 36.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lycoming County, PA | 52 | 15.1% | 27.6% |
| 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% |
| Centre County, PA | 18 | 14.3% | 17.5% |
| Union County, PA | 11 | 10.8% | 21.3% |
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 Clinton County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Clinton County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 9th 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, Clinton County ranks 29th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clinton 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.
-
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)
Legal aid
-
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 Clinton 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 Clinton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.