About one in six people in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Indiana County, 16.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Indiana County's score
In Indiana County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 60.9. Unemployment averaged 4.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 64% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 60.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Indiana 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.
Indiana County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (87.9, 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (19.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.2% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,768 · 202465th percentile
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- 56.0 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 32.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.2% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people87.9 · 202529th 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 Indiana 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 Indiana County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Indiana County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Indiana County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Indiana County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Indiana County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 16.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 15.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
How Indiana County has changed
Indiana County's population had its largest rise, from 84,875 in 1974 to 91,820 in 1979.
Indiana County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 92,097 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Indiana County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 31,453 in 2015 to 27,142 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Indiana County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 32,721 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,203 | 2024 $61,768 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Indiana County's history
1806
Indiana County, Pennsylvania was founded on November 3, 1806. Wikipedia
1850
Underground Railroad - at least 90 county residents served as conductors/agents. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 92,281. The 2020 Census counted 83,246, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Indiana County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Indiana County beside its neighbors
Indiana County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Indiana County ranks 3rd of the six; Cambria County is highest, at 35.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambria County, PA | 51 | 14.5% | 35.3% |
| Indiana County, PA | 51 | 16.0% | 30.0% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 46 | 14.9% | 27.2% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 39 | 12.4% | 26.8% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
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 Indiana County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Indiana County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 5th 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, Indiana County ranks 21st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.