About one in 11 people in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Northampton County, 8.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Northampton County's score
In Northampton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 74.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.0. The typical household earns $89,712 a year (2024), more than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Northampton 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, Northampton County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.3 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 45.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.8 · 202548th percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 14.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,712 · 202411th 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Northampton County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Northampton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Northampton County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Northampton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2011 to 8.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Northampton County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.3%
High on the chart: 10.6% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
How Northampton County has changed
Northampton County's population had its largest rise, from 229,005 in 1984 to 245,526 in 1989.
Northampton County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 322,989, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 224,543. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Northampton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 110,724 in 2020 to 122,795 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Northampton County rose by about half to 122,795, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 122,795 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.5% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,888 | 2024 $89,712 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Northampton County's history
1752
Formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Wikipedia
1982
Bethlehem Steel: shutdown 1982, bankruptcy 2001, dissolution 2003. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in August 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in May 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 312,951, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Northampton County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Northampton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Northampton County, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Northampton County ranks 4th of the six; Carbon County is highest, at 26.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Northampton County, PA | 40 | 8.8% | 20.4% |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 | 8.2% | 20.1% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
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 Northampton County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Northampton County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 59th 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, Northampton County ranks 34th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Northampton 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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Community Action Committee of Lehigh Valley, Inc.
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 Northampton 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 Northampton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.