In Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Sullivan County, 18.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sullivan County's score
In Sullivan County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.1. About one in 12 renters (8.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sullivan 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.
Sullivan County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 48.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154.3 · 202561st percentile
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- 38.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,001 · 202449th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.5% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 16.1 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 rent8.3% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, 31.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sullivan County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sullivan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (5.8% in 2009) to 8.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
How Sullivan County has changed
Sullivan County's population had its largest drop, from 6,516 in 1979 to 6,016 in 1984.
Sullivan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 6,554 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Sullivan County had its largest drop, from 1,750 in 2015 to 1,361 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Sullivan County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2020, reaching 1,361, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 1,756 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,450 | 2024 $67,001 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Sullivan County's history
1847
Created March 15, 1847, from part of Lycoming County. Wikipedia
1853
Celestia Community of Adventists, founded 1853 by Peter Armstrong and wife. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,134. The 2020 Census counted 5,840, 48% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A tornado in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in April 2011 did $1.83 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in October 2016 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sullivan County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sullivan County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Sullivan County score higher than it does. Of the group, Sullivan County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (32.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | 72 | 13.4% | 26.8% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 52 | 15.1% | 27.6% |
| Columbia County, PA | 43 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Bradford County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 28.5% |
| Wyoming County, PA | 33 | 9.7% | 25.6% |
| Sullivan County, PA | 22 | 12.8% | 32.7% |
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 Sullivan County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Sullivan County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 24th 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, Sullivan County ranks 53rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sullivan 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.
Download the CSV for Sullivan 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 Sullivan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.