Cameron County was recently named the poorest in Pennsylvania by financial website SmartAsset. Here’s what to know about typical incomes and poverty levels.
Nate Smallwood
For Spotlight PA
The poorest county in Pennsylvania has a median income of $47,681, more than $28,000 below the statewide figure, according to a recent financial analysis of the wealthiest and poorest spots in the commonwealth.
Financial website SmartAsset named Cameron County the poorest in Pennsylvania in 2025. Centre County was named the 17th wealthiest by comparison, with a median income of $72,748.
The most recent ranking reflects data updated last year, according to SmartAsset. The company used sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, real estate site Zillow and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to compile the ranking. The three metrics considered included investment income, median home value and median income.
In Cameron County, the median annual income is below the threshold needed to afford a typically priced, one-bedroom rental home, according to data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The NLIHC reports Pennsylvania residents need to make $47,804 annually to afford such a rental, while the minimum income needed for a two-bedroom is $57,886, and an annual income of $72,325 is required to afford a three-bedroom rental.
Affordable housing is much less accessible to those making minimum wage. At Pennsylvania’s $7.25 non-tipped minimum wage, the same as the federal minimum, it would take 127 hours of work per week to affordably rent a one-bedroom, 154 hours per week for a two-bedroom rental or 192 hours for a three-bedroom.
Inflation and tariffs have further reduced affordability for Pennsylvania residents. The U.S. has seen a 12-month overall inflation rate of 2.4%, and some categories, such as meat, eggs and utilities, have seen steeper price increases.
Pennsylvania’s statewide median income is $76,081, according to the Census Bureau, and 11.6% of the commonwealth’s residents live in poverty.
The poorest counties in Pennsylvania
Here’s how the 10 poorest counties in Pennsylvania compare, according to SmartAsset:
1. Cameron County
Median income: $47,681 Investment income: $12,256Median home value: $74,031Poverty rate: 15.3% (The poverty level is not used in SmartAsset’s ranking criteria. The data is from the Census Bureau.)
2. Forest County
Median income: $50,061Investment income: $15,298Median home value: $104,793Poverty rate: 24.8%
3. Cambria
Median income: $56,292Investment income: $16,191Median home value: $120,702Poverty rate: 13.2%
4. Jefferson
Median income: $56,898 Investment income: $27,446Median home value: $102,537Poverty rate: 18.8%
5. Fayette
Median income: $56,093Investment income: $23,439Median home value: $129,814Poverty rate: 18.9%
6. Northumberland
Median income: $57,948 Investment income: $17,733Median home value: $125,027Poverty rate: 12.3%
7. Warren
Median income: $59,013 Investment income: $22,321Median home value: $124,127Poverty rate: 11.4%
8. Indiana
Median income: $58,739Investment income: $22,265Median home value: $136,401Poverty rate: 16.5%
9. Clearfield
Median income: $60,181Investment income: $19,011Median home value: $125,220Poverty rate: 15.4%
10. McKean
Median income: $61,705Investment income: $19,484Median home value: $99,922Poverty rate: 15.9%
Several counties switched places from 2024’s ranking, which named the 10 poorest counties in Pennsylvania as Cameron, Forest, Cambria, Northumberland, Fayette, McKean, Clearfield, Potter, Jefferson and Lawrence.
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Meredith Howard is a service journalist with the Belleville News-Democrat. She is a Baylor University graduate and has previously freelanced with the Illinois Times and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
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