In Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Huntingdon County, 18.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Huntingdon County's score
In Huntingdon County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.4. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 26.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 48.3 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Huntingdon 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.
Huntingdon 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.
- 61.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 35.7 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 line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,355 · 202451st percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 32.3 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 rent16.4% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 26.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.4% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people48.3 · 20258th 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 Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Huntingdon County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Huntingdon County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Huntingdon County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (9.8% in 2009) to 11.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Huntingdon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.4%
Low on the chart: 9.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
How Huntingdon County has changed
Huntingdon County's population had its largest rise, from 41,219 in 1979 to 43,201 in 1984.
Huntingdon County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 45,896 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Huntingdon County rose 7% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 13,095 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,038 | 2024 $66,355 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Huntingdon County's history
1787
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania was founded on September 20, 1787. Wikipedia
1903
Herncane Broom Factory destroyed by fire 1903. Wikipedia
1972
Major flood 1936 and 1972. Wikipedia
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in November 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 45,913. The 2020 Census counted 44,092, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Huntingdon County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Huntingdon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Huntingdon County, four score higher. Of the group, Huntingdon County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blair County, PA | 42 | 12.0% | 28.2% |
| Bedford County, PA | 38 | 11.7% | 30.3% |
| Mifflin County, PA | 34 | 12.5% | 29.8% |
| Franklin County, PA | 32 | 9.3% | 22.7% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 28 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Juniata County, PA | 22 | 9.7% | 22.6% |
| Centre County, PA | 18 | 14.3% | 17.5% |
| 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 Huntingdon County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Huntingdon 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, Huntingdon County ranks 52nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.