In Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Lehigh County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lehigh County's score
In Lehigh County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 57.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lehigh 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.
Lehigh County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($80,820, 2024) and people with a disability (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.3 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 rent26.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.3% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 49.4 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 working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 48.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.8 · 202542nd percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,820 · 202419th 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lehigh County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lehigh County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lehigh County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.5% in 2009 to 9.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Lehigh County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.4%
High on the chart: 15.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
How Lehigh County has changed
Lehigh County's population had its largest rise, from 326,138 in 2004 to 347,237 in 2009.
Lehigh County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 385,655, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 276,022. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lehigh County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 203,946. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.3% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,751 | 2024 $80,820 |
The table uses 4.6% 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 Lehigh County's history
1812
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania was founded on March 6, 1812. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in August 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in August 2001 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 374,557, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in August 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lehigh County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lehigh County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lehigh County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lehigh County ranks 4th of the seven; Schuylkill County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Northampton County, PA | 40 | 8.8% | 20.4% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 9 | 6.2% | 12.5% |
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 Lehigh County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Lehigh County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 42nd 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, Lehigh County ranks 10th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lehigh 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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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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.