About one in six people with a credit file in Elk County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Elk County, 15.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Elk County's score
In Elk County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 36.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 25.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Elk 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.
Elk 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.
- 36.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.2% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 32.1 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 rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 30.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.0% · 202422nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance2.3% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,741 · 202450th percentile
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- 27.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.1 · 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 Elk 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 Elk County, 24.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Elk County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Elk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Elk County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Elk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.0% in 2019 to 11.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Elk County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.5%
High on the chart: 14.8% 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, Elk County, Pennsylvania.
How Elk County has changed
Elk County's population had its largest drop, from 37,091 in 1984 to 35,169 in 1989.
Elk County's population fell by about a fifth to 30,124, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 38,576 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Elk County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Elk County had its largest rise, from 14,553 in 1990 to 16,736 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Elk County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 16,736 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Elk County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.3% | 2024 10.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,950 | 2024 $66,741 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Elk County's history
1963
A tornado in September 1963 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 38,338. The 2020 Census counted 30,990, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in June 2021 did $2,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Elk County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Elk County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Elk County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Elk County ranks 5th of the six; Forest County is highest, at 49.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKean County, PA | 57 | 14.3% | 30.8% |
| Cameron County, PA | 50 | 12.7% | 36.6% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 46 | 14.9% | 27.2% |
| Forest County, PA | 44 | 22.8% | 49.6% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| 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 Elk County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Elk County's poverty rate was 10.0% in 2024, 51st 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, Elk County ranks 58th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Elk 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.
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 Elk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.