In Juniata County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Juniata County, 17.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Juniata County's score
In Juniata County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 11.9. About one in 12 renters (8.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Juniata 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, Juniata County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.7 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 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people120.5 · 202547th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance13.8% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,150 · 202437th percentile
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- 32.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.2% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 11.9 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 rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th 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 Juniata 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 Juniata County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Juniata County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Juniata County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 17.8% in 2004 to 24.0% in 2009.
In Juniata County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Juniata County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Juniata County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.8% in 2010 to 8.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Juniata County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.4%
High on the chart: 11.1% 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, Juniata County, Pennsylvania.
How Juniata County has changed
Juniata County's population had its largest rise, from 16,627 in 1969 to 17,945 in 1974.
Juniata County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 24,549 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Juniata County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Juniata County had its largest rise, from 5,978 in 2000 to 7,008 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Juniata County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 7,008 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Juniata County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,053 | 2024 $71,150 |
The table uses 5.2% 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 Juniata County's history
1831
Juniata County, Pennsylvania was founded on March 2, 1831. Wikipedia
1972
Hurricane Agnes 1972 flooded 6374 acres, displaced 57 families. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,636. The 2020 Census counted 23,509, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Juniata County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Juniata County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Juniata County, five score higher. Of the group, Juniata County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Northumberland County gets the largest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland County, PA | 48 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
| Mifflin County, PA | 34 | 12.5% | 29.8% |
| Franklin County, PA | 32 | 9.3% | 22.7% |
| Perry County, PA | 29 | 8.6% | 23.9% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 28 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Juniata County, PA | 22 | 9.7% | 22.6% |
| Snyder County, PA | 21 | 12.0% | 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 Juniata County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Juniata County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 54th 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, Juniata County ranks 54th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Juniata 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 Juniata 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 Juniata County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.