In Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Dauphin County, 26.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dauphin County's score
In Dauphin County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dauphin 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.
Dauphin County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (17.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.0%, 2020 to 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.3% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 58.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.6% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.5 · 202550th percentile
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- 40.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,875 · 202433rd percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Dauphin 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 Dauphin County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dauphin County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dauphin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; 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 Dauphin County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 13.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 13.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
How Dauphin County has changed
Dauphin County's population had its largest rise, from 236,296 in 1989 to 247,540 in 1994.
Dauphin County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 293,029, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 233,324. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dauphin County rose by about a quarter to 190,394, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 190,394. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,240 | 2024 $72,875 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Dauphin County's history
1977
A tornado in April 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in December 2006 did $2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $150 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in July 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 286,401, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dauphin County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dauphin County beside its neighbors
Dauphin County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dauphin County ranks 5th of the eight; Northumberland County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | 57 | 13.0% | 22.4% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 48 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 35 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| York County, PA | 29 | 9.2% | 21.5% |
| Perry County, PA | 29 | 8.6% | 23.9% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 16 | 8.1% | 18.0% |
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 Dauphin County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Dauphin County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 22nd 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, Dauphin County ranks 12th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dauphin 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 Housing Finance Agency
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Dauphin 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 Dauphin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.