In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Luzerne County, 24.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Luzerne County's score
In Luzerne County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 82.9. About one in four renters (24.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Luzerne 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.
Luzerne County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 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 rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.8% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.7 · 202550th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,221 · 202451st 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 Luzerne 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 Luzerne County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Luzerne County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Luzerne County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Luzerne County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.9% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2012, 1.4 points each year.
The share of households in Luzerne County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.6%, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2016 to 2017, reaching 16.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
How Luzerne County has changed
Luzerne County's population fell 3% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 348,879 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Luzerne County rose 11% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 143,028. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,253 | 2024 $66,221 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Luzerne County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 445,109. The 2020 Census counted 325,594, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $21.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $100 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $43.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Luzerne County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Luzerne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Luzerne County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Luzerne County ranks 4th of the eight; Sullivan County is highest, at 32.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 63 | 14.9% | 26.2% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Columbia County, PA | 43 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Wyoming County, PA | 33 | 9.7% | 25.6% |
| Sullivan County, PA | 22 | 12.8% | 32.7% |
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 Luzerne County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Luzerne County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 19th 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, Luzerne County ranks 4th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Luzerne 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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Commission on Economic Opportunity of Luzerne County
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Development Corporation of Northeast
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 Luzerne 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 Luzerne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.