Unemployment in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Schuylkill 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 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schuylkill County's score
In Schuylkill County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 63.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 57.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schuylkill 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.
Schuylkill County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.7%, fiscal year 2027) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (89, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,552 · 202444th percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.9% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89 · 202530th percentile
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- 37.5 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schuylkill County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schuylkill County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; 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 Schuylkill County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 17.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 12.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
How Schuylkill County has changed
Schuylkill County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 161,731 in 1979 to 156,147 in 1984.
Schuylkill County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 161,731 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Schuylkill County had its largest rise in the last span, from 47,066 in 2020 to 50,502 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Schuylkill County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 50,502 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,107 | 2024 $68,552 |
The table uses 4.9% 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 Schuylkill County's history
1811
Created March 1, 1811, from parts of Berks and Northampton counties. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 235,505. The 2020 Census counted 143,049, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A thunderstorm in July 1992 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in July 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Textile manufacturing industry declined, from dominant employer to six manufacturers by 2011. Wikipedia
2011
A flood in March 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schuylkill County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schuylkill County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Schuylkill County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schuylkill County ranks 2nd of the nine; Northumberland County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 63 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 57 | 13.0% | 22.4% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 48 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
| Columbia County, PA | 43 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 35 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
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 Schuylkill County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Schuylkill 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, Schuylkill County ranks 18th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schuylkill 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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Schuylkill Community Action
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.