About one in 16 people in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Montgomery County, 6.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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, Montgomery County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.7 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.0% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84.1 · 202527th percentile
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- 18.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 15.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.4% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 4.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.2% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$111,915 · 20242nd 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 9.1% in 2004 to 12.8% in 2009.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.5%; 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 Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 6.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 4.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population had its largest rise, from 709,642 in 1994 to 744,683 in 1999.
Montgomery County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 639,411. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County rose by about a fifth to 504,216, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 480,559. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.0% | 2024 6.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $40,615 | 2024 $111,915 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Montgomery County's history
1784
Created September 10, 1784, out of land originally part of Philadelphia County. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in July 1994 did $50 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 did $20 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $12 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in June 2001 did $33.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 856,553, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Montgomery County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 6th of the seven; Philadelphia County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County, PA | 91 | 19.7% | 27.6% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Delaware County, PA | 49 | 10.7% | 16.9% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 9 | 6.2% | 12.5% |
| Chester County, PA | 3 | 6.4% | 10.4% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 6.2% in 2024, 66th 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, Montgomery County ranks 65th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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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CCCS of Delaware Valley, Inc. Dba Clarifi
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Genesis Housing Corporation
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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.