About one in five people in McKean County, Pennsylvania, has a disability
In McKean County, 20.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives McKean County's score
In McKean County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 69.0. Unemployment averaged 4.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 69% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 66.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McKean 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.
McKean County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (60.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.9% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.1% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 57.3 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 line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,147 · 202472nd percentile
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- 45.1 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.0% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.7 · 202515th 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 McKean 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 McKean County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McKean County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McKean County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In McKean County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; 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 McKean County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 18.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 18.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McKean County, Pennsylvania.
How McKean County has changed
McKean County's population fell by about a quarter to 39,478, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 46,493. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McKean County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in McKean County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 15,648 in 2015 to 13,570 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in McKean County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 18,221 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McKean County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,614 | 2024 $59,147 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 McKean County's history
1826
McKean County, Pennsylvania was founded on September 1, 1826. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 56,673. The 2020 Census counted 40,432, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in August 1999 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in July 2003 did $45.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in July 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McKean County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
McKean County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McKean County, in Pennsylvania and New York, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McKean County ranks 5th of the seven; Cameron County is highest, at 36.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 59 | 18.7% | 30.5% |
| McKean County, PA | 57 | 14.3% | 30.8% |
| Allegany County, NY | 53 | 16.4% | 31.9% |
| Cameron County, PA | 50 | 12.7% | 36.6% |
| Potter County, PA | 43 | 13.9% | 32.8% |
| Warren County, PA | 31 | 10.1% | 33.3% |
| Elk County, PA | 17 | 10.0% | 29.1% |
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 McKean County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, McKean 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, McKean County ranks 13th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McKean 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 McKean 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 McKean County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.