About one in five people with a credit file in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Wayne County, 20.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 62% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 28.0. People with a credit card behind: 3.8%, August 2025, lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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.
Even so, Wayne County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.6 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 rent24.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,672 · 202447th percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.1% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people99.5 · 202535th percentile
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- 28.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 25.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wayne County rose most in two steps: 16.9% in 1989 to 21.2% in 1994; 21.5% in 2004 to 25.8% in 2009.
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2020 high, from 12.0% in 2019 to 13.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.0%
High on the chart: 13.4% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest rise, from 39,359 in 1989 to 44,188 in 1994.
Wayne County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 51,419
High on the chart: 52,552 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County rose by about a quarter to 15,764, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 15,764 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.1% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,914 | 2024 $67,672 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Wayne County's history
1798
Formed March 21, 1798, from part of Northampton County. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $17.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $50 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 52,822. The 2020 Census counted 51,155, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Wayne County, in Pennsylvania and New York, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wayne County ranks 2nd of the eight; Delaware County is highest, at 29.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Sullivan County, NY | 63 | 18.7% | 27.9% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 63 | 14.9% | 26.2% |
| Broome County, NY | 60 | 15.9% | 26.4% |
| Pike County, PA | 60 | 9.9% | 23.7% |
| Wayne County, PA | 48 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Delaware County, NY | 42 | 12.7% | 29.6% |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 41 | 12.1% | 25.8% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 22nd 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, Wayne County ranks 24th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.