In Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Susquehanna County, 18.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Susquehanna County's score
In Susquehanna County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 63.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 33.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 84 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Susquehanna 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.
Susquehanna 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.
- 63.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.0% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,771 · 202441st percentile
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- 43.2 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 rent20.1% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84 · 202527th 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 Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Susquehanna County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Susquehanna County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Susquehanna County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 2019 to 11.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Susquehanna County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half to 12.9%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 7.7% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
How Susquehanna County has changed
Susquehanna County's population had its largest drop, from 41,396 in 2014 to 38,732 in 2019.
Susquehanna County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 43,346 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Susquehanna County had its largest drop, from 9,388 in 2015 to 8,361 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Susquehanna County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 9,388 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,367 | 2024 $69,771 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Susquehanna County's history
1769
Pennamite-Yankee Wars, 1769-1799, conflict over land claims between Connecticut and Pennsylvania settlers. Wikipedia
1810
Created February 21, 1810, from part of Luzerne County and later organized in 1812. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $9.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $100 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 43,356. The 2020 Census counted 38,434, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in September 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Susquehanna County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Susquehanna County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Susquehanna County, in Pennsylvania and New York, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Susquehanna County ranks 5th of the seven; Bradford County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lackawanna County, PA | 63 | 14.9% | 26.2% |
| Broome County, NY | 60 | 15.9% | 26.4% |
| Wayne County, PA | 48 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 41 | 12.1% | 25.8% |
| Tioga County, NY | 41 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Bradford County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 28.5% |
| Wyoming County, PA | 33 | 9.7% | 25.6% |
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 Susquehanna County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Susquehanna County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 31st 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, Susquehanna County ranks 33rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.