In Fayette County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Fayette County, 27.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.8. Unemployment averaged 5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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.
Fayette County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (4.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 76.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.2% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 73.9 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people205.8 · 202576th percentile
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- 59.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.8% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,039 · 202470th 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Fayette County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 18.1% in 2009 to 19.0% in 2010; 21.4% in 2018 to 22.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid rose to 23.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2018 to 2019, reaching 22.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest drop, from 155,743 in 1984 to 145,818 in 1989.
Fayette County's population fell by about a fifth to 123,941, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 162,720 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County had its largest drop, from 40,040 in 2015 to 36,365 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County rose 15% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 40,579 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,030 | 2024 $60,039 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Fayette County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 200,999. The 2020 Census counted 128,804, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in October 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in June 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in July 2013 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
Fayette County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. Of the group, Fayette County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 86 | 14.7% | 33.7% |
| Greene County, PA | 66 | 17.7% | 28.9% |
| Preston County, WV | 54 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| Monongalia County, WV | 37 | 18.1% | 18.2% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
| Somerset County, PA | 32 | 12.4% | 31.1% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
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 Fayette County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 10th 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, Fayette County ranks 2nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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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Fayette County Community Action Agency
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.