Unemployment in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Mifflin County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mifflin County's score
In Mifflin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 57.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 31.9. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 18.7% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mifflin 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.
Even so, Mifflin County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.4% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,972 · 202455th percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people80.6 · 202525th percentile
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- 32.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.3% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 31.9 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th 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 Mifflin 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 Mifflin County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mifflin County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mifflin County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.7% in 2004 to 31.4% in 2009.
In Mifflin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mifflin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2010 to 15.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Mifflin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 17.0%
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
How Mifflin County has changed
Mifflin County's population had its largest rise, from 45,173 in 1969 to 46,105 in 1974.
Mifflin County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 46,687 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Mifflin County rose 8% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 17,229 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,071 | 2024 $64,972 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Mifflin County's history
1789
Created September 19, 1789, from parts of Cumberland County and Northumberland County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 46,908. The 2020 Census counted 46,143, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in July 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mifflin County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mifflin County beside its neighbors
Mifflin County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mifflin County ranks 2nd of the six; Huntingdon County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mifflin County, PA | 34 | 12.5% | 29.8% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 28 | 10.7% | 30.7% |
| Juniata County, PA | 22 | 9.7% | 22.6% |
| Snyder County, PA | 21 | 12.0% | 29.1% |
| Centre County, PA | 18 | 14.3% | 17.5% |
| Union County, PA | 11 | 10.8% | 21.3% |
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 Mifflin County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Mifflin County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 27th 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, Mifflin County ranks 43rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mifflin 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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MidPenn Legal Services
Legal aid
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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 Mifflin 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 Mifflin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.