About one in 11 people in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Lebanon County, 9.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lebanon County's score
In Lebanon County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 32.2. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (17.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 69% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lebanon 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.
Lebanon 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.
- 61.0 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 44.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 37.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.4% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people99.8 · 202536th percentile
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- 33.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,200 · 202430th percentile
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- 32.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Lebanon 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 Lebanon 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
Lebanon County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lebanon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; 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 Lebanon County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 12.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 8.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
How Lebanon County has changed
Lebanon County's population had its largest rise, from 124,644 in 2004 to 132,959 in 2009.
Lebanon County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 145,319, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 110,250. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Lebanon County had its largest rise in the last span, from 48,125 in 2020 to 53,616 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Lebanon County rose by about a third to 53,616, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 53,616 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,309 | 2024 $74,200 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Lebanon County's history
1813
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania was founded on February 16, 1813. Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in June 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
A tornado in October 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in July 2004 did $18 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 143,257, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lebanon County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lebanon County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Lebanon County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lebanon County ranks 2nd of the five; Schuylkill County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | 57 | 13.0% | 22.4% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 35 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
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 Lebanon County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Lebanon County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 56th 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, Lebanon County ranks 40th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lebanon 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 Lebanon 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 Lebanon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.