About one in 10 people in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, lives below the poverty line
In Westmoreland County, 10.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Westmoreland County's score
In Westmoreland County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 27.1. About one in 33 people (3.0%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Westmoreland 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.
Westmoreland 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.
- 55.6 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.8 · 202559th percentile
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- 41.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance3.0% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,550 · 202428th 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 Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Westmoreland County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Westmoreland County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Westmoreland County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 8.9% in 2010 to 9.8% in 2011; 9.8% in 2011 to 10.7% in 2012; 13.0% in 2023 to 13.9% in 2024.
The share of households in Westmoreland County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 13.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 9.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
How Westmoreland County has changed
Westmoreland County's population fell 6% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 392,632 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
The number of jobs located in Westmoreland County had its largest drop, from 133,042 in 2015 to 123,310 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Westmoreland County rose 9% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 138,354 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,689 | 2024 $75,550 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Westmoreland County's history
1872
Coke works for Isabella Furnace built Spring of 1872 in Cokeville. Wikipedia
1910
Major strike by coal miners represented by United Mine Workers of America 1910-1911, sixteen killed. Wikipedia
1976
A tornado in July 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1978
Volkswagen Westmoreland plant operated 1978 to 1988 near New Stanton. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 392,294. The 2020 Census counted 354,663, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Lightning in June 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Westmoreland County now contains over 100 abandoned mines. Wikipedia
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Since 1971
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Westmoreland County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Westmoreland County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Westmoreland County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Westmoreland County ranks 6th of the nine; Cambria County is highest, at 35.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 86 | 14.7% | 33.7% |
| Cambria County, PA | 51 | 14.5% | 35.3% |
| Indiana County, PA | 51 | 16.0% | 30.0% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 39 | 12.4% | 26.8% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 34 | 11.7% | 17.8% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 33 | 10.5% | 24.6% |
| Somerset County, PA | 32 | 12.4% | 31.1% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
| 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 Westmoreland County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Westmoreland County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 48th 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, Westmoreland County ranks 44th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.