In Washington County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks make up only 20 cents of every dollar of income
In Washington County, 19.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 24.2. About one in 26 people (3.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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.
Washington 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.
- 51.0 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202759th percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.9 · 202559th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.1% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 24.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,961 · 202425th 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 Washington 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 Washington County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washington County rose most sharply from its first year (10.4% in 1969) to 14.6% in 1974.
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.7%; 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 Washington County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half to 13.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 9.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest drop, from 214,479 in 1984 to 204,552 in 1989.
Washington County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 219,430 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washington County rose 42% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 89,399. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,521 | 2024 $76,961 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Washington County's history
1781
Created March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County. Wikipedia
1791
Whiskey Rebellion tax on distillation in 1791 centered in Washington region. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 217,271. The 2020 Census counted 209,349, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A flash flood in May 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in June 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in October 2021 did $7.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
All nine counties that border Washington County, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 9th of the 10; Fayette County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 86 | 14.7% | 33.7% |
| Hancock County, WV | 75 | 13.6% | 31.6% |
| Marshall County, WV | 72 | 17.6% | 27.8% |
| Ohio County, WV | 71 | 19.2% | 25.6% |
| Greene County, PA | 66 | 17.7% | 28.9% |
| Brooke County, WV | 62 | 13.6% | 29.0% |
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 34 | 11.7% | 17.8% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 49th 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, Washington County ranks 48th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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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Blueprints
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.