About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, have a job
In Columbia County, 17.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 67% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbia County's score
In Columbia County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 37.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 4.1%, August 2025, lower than in 66% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbia 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.
Columbia 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.
- 53.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 50.2 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 income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142.1 · 202557th percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,026 · 202455th percentile
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- 37.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.2% · second quarter of 202642nd 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbia County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Columbia County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Columbia County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2017 high, from 10.1% in 2016 to 11.3% in 2017.
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.7%
High on the chart: 11.3% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
How Columbia County has changed
Columbia County's population had its largest rise, from 54,946 in 1969 to 59,116 in 1974.
Columbia County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 66,012
High on the chart: 67,220 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County had its largest drop, from 24,918 in 2015 to 23,046 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County fell 5% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 25,018 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,222 | 2024 $65,026 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Columbia County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 67,295. The 2020 Census counted 64,727, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $15.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbia County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Columbia County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Columbia County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbia County ranks 5th of the seven; Sullivan County is highest, at 32.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 52 | 15.1% | 27.6% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 48 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
| Columbia County, PA | 43 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Sullivan County, PA | 22 | 12.8% | 32.7% |
| Montour County, PA | 14 | 9.8% | 22.4% |
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 Columbia County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Columbia County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 18th 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, Columbia County ranks 30th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.