Benefit checks make up 38 cents of every dollar of income in Venango County, Pennsylvania
In Venango County, 37.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Venango County's score
In Venango County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 60.4. Unemployment averaged 4.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 65% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 52.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Venango 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.
Venango County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.3% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,729 · 202471st percentile
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- 48.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.6 · 202555th percentile
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- 47.7 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd 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 Venango 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 Venango County, 24.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Venango County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Venango County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Venango County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.9%; 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 Venango County getting SNAP food aid rose to 19.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 16.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Venango County, Pennsylvania.
How Venango County has changed
Venango County's population had its largest drop, from 63,677 in 1984 to 59,739 in 1989.
Venango County's population fell by about a fifth to 49,476, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 64,600 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Venango County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Venango County had its largest drop, from 18,921 in 2015 to 16,565 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Venango County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 21,555 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Venango County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,430 | 2024 $59,729 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Venango County's history
1859
First oil well drilled August 28, 1859, near Titusville. Wikipedia
1859
Oil derricks erected all over the area within weeks after discovery. Wikipedia
1861
Wamsutta Oil Refinery built 1861, first business venture of Henry Huttleston Rogers. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 65,328. The 2020 Census counted 50,454, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage and killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A thunderstorm in July 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Venango County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Venango County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Venango County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Venango County ranks 2nd of the seven; Forest County is highest, at 49.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, PA | 57 | 16.8% | 32.1% |
| Mercer County, PA | 54 | 13.1% | 31.5% |
| Venango County, PA | 51 | 13.2% | 37.9% |
| Forest County, PA | 44 | 22.8% | 49.6% |
| Clarion County, PA | 36 | 11.8% | 31.7% |
| Warren County, PA | 31 | 10.1% | 33.3% |
| Butler County, PA | 9 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
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 Venango County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Venango County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 20th 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, Venango County ranks 20th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Venango 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 Venango 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 Venango County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.