Mercer County, Pennsylvania

County Distress Index: Elevated · 50.1 | 108,503 people · 25th most distressed in Pennsylvania

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Mercer County, PA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 50.1 — 1593rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Pennsylvania, it ranks 25th of 67 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Mercer County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 58.1 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 58.1
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 22
Business Formation Rate 89
Income & Poverty 51.1
Poverty Rate 42
Income vs. State Median 56
Child Poverty Rate 55
Debt & Delinquency 48.8
Debt in Collections 46
Medical Debt 34
Student Loan Delinquency 60
Auto Loan Delinquency 50
Credit Card Delinquency 53
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 49
Housing Cost Burden 46.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 60
Rent-to-Income Ratio 33
Community Vulnerability 46.1
Uninsured Rate 29
Disability Rate 63

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Mercer County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Mercer County
Mercer County, PA 50.1 Elevated
Trumbull County, OH 64.7 Elevated +14.6
Mahoning County, OH 62.1 Elevated +12.0
Lawrence County, PA 52.3 Elevated +2.2
Crawford County, PA 51.8 Elevated +1.8
Venango County, PA 49.3 Normal -0.8
Butler County, PA 29.4 Healthy -20.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Mercer County
Elkhart County, IN 50.1 Elevated 0.0
Seneca County, OH 50.1 Elevated +0.0
Berrien County, MI 50.1 Elevated -0.0
Pottawattamie County, IA 50.0 Elevated -0.0
Clay County, FL 50.1 Elevated +0.0

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Find Help in Mercer County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Mercer County.

COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP OF MERCER COUNTY
Sharon
Financial CounselingHomeless/DisplacementPre-PurchaseRental Help
SHENANGO VALLEY URBAN LEAGUE
Farrell
Foreclosure PreventionHomeless/DisplacementPre-PurchaseRental Help

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Pennsylvania Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

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