Benefit checks make up 32 cents of every dollar of income in Mercer County, Pennsylvania
In Mercer County, 31.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mercer County's score
In Mercer County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 59.9. Unemployment averaged 4.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 63% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 53.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mercer 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.
Mercer County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.3% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,006 · 202467th percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 52.0 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202745th percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.5 · 202548th 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mercer County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mercer County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 31.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Mercer County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17.4%
High on the chart: 17.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
How Mercer County has changed
Mercer County's population had its largest drop, from 125,358 in 1984 to 120,866 in 1989.
Mercer County's population fell 15% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 128,394 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 47,941 in 2015 to 41,908 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 49,402 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,837 | 2024 $61,006 |
The table uses 4.8% 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 Mercer County's history
1803
Mercer County, Pennsylvania was founded on November 7, 1803. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 128,299. The 2020 Census counted 110,652, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in October 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mercer County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mercer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Mercer County, in Pennsylvania and Ohio, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mercer County ranks 3rd of the seven; Venango County is highest, at 37.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning County, OH | 81 | 19.3% | 29.1% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 75 | 13.3% | 31.3% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 59 | 14.3% | 30.7% |
| Crawford County, PA | 57 | 16.8% | 32.1% |
| Mercer County, PA | 54 | 13.1% | 31.5% |
| Venango County, PA | 51 | 13.2% | 37.9% |
| Butler County, PA | 9 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
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 Mercer County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Mercer County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 21st 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, Mercer County ranks 14th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mercer 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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Shenango Valley Urban League
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 Mercer 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 Mercer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.