Benefit checks make up 31 cents of every dollar of income in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
In Lawrence County, 30.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 67% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 65.5. Unemployment averaged 4.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 66% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 63.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 63.7 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,609 · 202471st percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.8 · 202553rd percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.3% · second quarter of 202654th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 23.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 11.7% in 2010 to 13.5% in 2011; 14.0% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 20.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 13.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest drop, from 103,333 in 1984 to 96,530 in 1989.
Lawrence County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 84,233, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1989 to 1994, reaching 96,479. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 30,632 in 1995 to 32,840 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County fell 12% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 32,840 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,172 | 2024 $59,609 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Lawrence County's history
1849
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania was founded on March 20, 1849. Wikipedia
1930
WPA and CCC created jobs during Great Depression 1930s. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 112,965. The 2020 Census counted 86,070, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1977
A tornado in September 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in July 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lawrence County, in Pennsylvania and Ohio, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 3rd of the six; Columbiana County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning County, OH | 81 | 19.3% | 29.1% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 69 | 14.7% | 32.4% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 59 | 14.3% | 30.7% |
| Mercer County, PA | 54 | 13.1% | 31.5% |
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| Butler County, PA | 9 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 13th 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, Lawrence County ranks 9th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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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Housing Opportunities, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborhood Legal Services Association
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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.