In Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Lackawanna County, 24.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lackawanna County's score
In Lackawanna County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.4. Jobs come next, at 55.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lackawanna 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.
Lackawanna County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (117.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.3% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment 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 working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 54.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.1% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.1 · 202545th percentile
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- 49.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,341 · 202448th 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 Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lackawanna County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lackawanna County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; 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 Lackawanna County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 17.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 11.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
How Lackawanna County has changed
Lackawanna County's population had its largest drop, from 229,668 in 1979 to 224,297 in 1984.
Lackawanna County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 234,219 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lackawanna County rose 5% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 99,954 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.4% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,469 | 2024 $67,341 |
The table uses 4.7% 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 Lackawanna County's history
1877
Scranton General Strike 1877. Wikipedia
1878
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania was founded on August 13, 1878. Wikipedia
1902
Coal strike of 1902 led by United Mine Workers. Wikipedia
1902
Lackawanna Steel Company moved to Lackawanna, New York 1902. Wikipedia
1913
Mine subsidence caused cave-ins and neighborhood damage. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 310,397. The 2020 Census counted 215,896, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1959
Knox Mine Disaster 1959 virtually ended mining in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $19.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in September 2023 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lackawanna County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lackawanna County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lackawanna County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lackawanna County ranks 3rd of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 28.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 63 | 14.9% | 26.2% |
| Wayne County, PA | 48 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 41 | 12.1% | 25.8% |
| Wyoming County, PA | 33 | 9.7% | 25.6% |
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 Lackawanna County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Lackawanna County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 7th 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, Lackawanna County ranks 7th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lackawanna 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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Neighborworks Northeastern Pa/nhs of Lackawanna County
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.