In Forest County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2012
In 2024, 50 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Forest County's score
In Forest County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 78.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 22.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 62 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Forest 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.
Even so, Forest County is worse off than most counties on people below the poverty line (22.8%, 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.5% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,213 · 202482nd percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 34.1 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 rent4.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.7% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62 · 202515th 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 Forest 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 Forest County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Forest County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Forest County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Pennsylvania
In Forest County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 49.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Forest County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.4% in 2017 to 15.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Forest County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 14.0%
Low on the chart: 8.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Forest County, Pennsylvania.
How Forest County has changed
Forest County's population had its largest rise, from 6,118 in 2004 to 7,737 in 2009.
Forest County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 7,737 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Forest County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Forest County had its largest rise, from 1,605 in 2000 to 2,086 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Forest County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 2,310 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Forest County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.4% | 2025 6.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,474 | 2024 $55,213 |
The table uses 6.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Forest County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 11,039. The 2020 Census counted 6,973, 63% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in June 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Forest County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Forest County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Forest County, one scores higher. Of the group, Forest County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (49.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venango County, PA | 51 | 13.2% | 37.9% |
| Forest County, PA | 44 | 22.8% | 49.6% |
| Clarion County, PA | 36 | 11.8% | 31.7% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| Warren County, PA | 31 | 10.1% | 33.3% |
| 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 Forest County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
Yes, Forest County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, the highest of 67 counties in Pennsylvania (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Forest County ranks 28th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Forest 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 Forest 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 Forest County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.