Unemployment in Pike County, Pennsylvania, is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Pike County, 4.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pike County's score
In Pike County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.9. About three in ten renters (29.3%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 63.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pike 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.
Pike County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($81,717, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.9%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.9 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 rent29.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people179.6 · 202569th percentile
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- 55.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,717 · 202417th 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 Pike 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 Pike County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pike County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pike County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pike County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2019 to 12.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Pike County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.6%
High on the chart: 12.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pike County, Pennsylvania.
How Pike County has changed
Pike County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size, reaching 62,376, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 36,786. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pike County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pike County doubled to 12,365, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 11,189. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pike County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.4% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,524 | 2024 $81,717 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Pike County's history
1737
Walking Purchase of 1737 swindled Lenape out of more than half of present-day Pike County. Wikipedia
1814
Organized March 26, 1814, from part of Wayne County. Wikipedia
1926
Village of Wilsonville evacuated and submerged by Lake Wallenpaupack dam, 1926. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $23 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 58,535, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pike County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pike County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Pike County, in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pike County ranks 4th of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 28.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Sullivan County, NY | 63 | 18.7% | 27.9% |
| Pike County, PA | 60 | 9.9% | 23.7% |
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Wayne County, PA | 48 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
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 Pike County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Pike County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 52nd 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, Pike County ranks 8th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pike 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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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.
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 Pike County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.