Forest County, Pennsylvania
Above the national median for poverty rate — and 7.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Lincoln County, SD — 3%).
Main Findings
Forest County, Pennsylvania ranks 1,707th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 25% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 14%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 1,707th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 47.9 · moderate-low county distress, 29th in Pennsylvania.
- 25% of residents live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 14%). Poverty rate at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 76th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Default & Legal domain score 23 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 20-point drop to Elk County marks where the Pennsylvania distress corridor ends.
Forest County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Forest County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 25th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 89th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Tionesta.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 29% of children under 18 in Forest County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Forest County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Forest County's value shown alongside PA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Forest | PA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 21 · Rank 2,563 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 40th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 17th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 12% | 20% | 23% | 5th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 23 · Rank 2,686 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 18% | 20% | 23% | 30th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 62 | 98 | 126 | 16th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 40 · Rank 1,981 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 21% | 21% | 76th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 4% | 18% | 18% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 77 · Rank 673 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 77th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 78 · Rank 438 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 29% | 17% | 18% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 16% | 16% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 25% | 13% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 25th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Forest County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
TIONESTA, Pa. — Forest County ranks 1,707th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 47.9 out of 100 gives Forest a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,706 counties rank more distressed. Within Pennsylvania, Forest ranks 29th of 67 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Forest. 25% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 14%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Forest County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Forest County's distress score?
How does Forest County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Forest County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →