In Fulton County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Fulton County, 17.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fulton County's score
In Fulton County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 37.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 19.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fulton 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.
Fulton 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.
- 37.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.1% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.9% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,381 · 202442nd percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 23.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34.6 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 19.6 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 rent12.8% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fulton County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fulton County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 19.1% in 2004 to 28.5% in 2009.
In Fulton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fulton County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fulton County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 7.7% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011; 11.4% in 2013 to 12.8% in 2014.
The share of households in Fulton County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.9%
High on the chart: 14.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fulton County, Pennsylvania.
How Fulton County has changed
Fulton County's population had its largest rise, from 10,757 in 1969 to 11,826 in 1974.
Fulton County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14,452
High on the chart: 14,828 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fulton County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 5,628 in 2005 to 4,536 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,388
High on the chart: 5,628 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fulton County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,131 | 2024 $69,381 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Fulton County's history
1850
Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from a part of Bedford County. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,845. The 2020 Census counted 14,556, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in April 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fulton County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fulton County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Fulton County, in Pennsylvania and Maryland, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fulton County ranks 4th of the six; Allegany County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, MD | 64 | 16.6% | 38.3% |
| Washington County, MD | 52 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Bedford County, PA | 38 | 11.7% | 30.3% |
| Franklin County, PA | 32 | 9.3% | 22.7% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 28 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Fulton County, PA | 17 | 10.7% | 28.5% |
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 Fulton County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Fulton County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 45th 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, Fulton County ranks 59th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fulton 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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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 Fulton 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 Fulton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.