About one in 13 people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Lancaster County, 7.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lancaster County's score
In Lancaster County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 21.6. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lancaster 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.
Lancaster 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.
- 64.0 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.0% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 24.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.3% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.9 · 202521st percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,829 · 202413th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.9% · 2020 to 202426th 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lancaster County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lancaster County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 13.4% in 2004 to 18.8% in 2009.
In Lancaster County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lancaster County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.2% in 2009 to 6.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Lancaster County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9.2%
High on the chart: 9.3% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
How Lancaster County has changed
Lancaster County's population had its largest rise, from 380,892 in 1984 to 417,585 in 1989.
Lancaster County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 563,293, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 563,293. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lancaster County rose by about a third to 254,207, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 254,207. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,174 | 2024 $85,829 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Lancaster County's history
1729
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was founded on May 10, 1729. Wikipedia
1994
A thunderstorm in November 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning in August 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 552,984, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in December 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lancaster County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lancaster County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania and Maryland, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lancaster County ranks 6th of the eight; Lebanon County is highest, at 23.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | 57 | 13.0% | 22.4% |
| Cecil County, MD | 55 | 9.1% | 23.1% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 35 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Harford County, MD | 30 | 6.9% | 17.0% |
| York County, PA | 29 | 9.2% | 21.5% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
| Chester County, PA | 3 | 6.4% | 10.4% |
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 Lancaster County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Lancaster County's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 63rd 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, Lancaster County ranks 56th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lancaster 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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Base,inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Tenfold
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.