About one in six people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 17.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 25.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 75.7 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson 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.
- 52.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.4% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,167 · 202467th percentile
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- 41.6 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 41.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people75.7 · 202522nd 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.7% in 2012 to 14.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.9%
High on the chart: 15.3% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 45,938 in 1974 to 48,583 in 1979.
Jefferson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 48,583 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 15,637 in 2015 to 14,660 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 15,637 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,659 | 2024 $61,167 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Jefferson County's history
1830
Jefferson County, Pennsylvania was founded on October 1, 1830. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 63,090. The 2020 Census counted 44,492, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1976
A tornado in July 1976 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 did $0.1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in June 2013 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in August 2024 did $2,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 3rd of the seven; Forest County is highest, at 49.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana County, PA | 51 | 16.0% | 30.0% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 46 | 14.9% | 27.2% |
| Forest County, PA | 44 | 22.8% | 49.6% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 39 | 12.4% | 26.8% |
| Clarion County, PA | 36 | 11.8% | 31.7% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 30.8% |
| 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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 37th 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, Jefferson County ranks 39th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.