John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
In total, residents in Delaware County received $7.4 billion in government transfers, which accounted for 16.4% of total county income.
Comparatively, across all counties in Pennsylvania, government transfer payments totaled $168.5 billion, making up 20.1% of the state residents’ total income, with an average of $12,986 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in Delaware County at the time, Social Security transfers totaled $2.3 billion, amounting to $4,030 per capita, or 31.4% of total government transfers. Medicare transfers accounted for $1.7 billion ($3,019 per capita), representing 23.5% of the total. Medicaid contributed $2.2 billion ($3,789 per capita), making up 29.5% of total transfers. Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $625.2 million ($1,087 per capita), or 8.5% of the total.
With 17.4% of the population aged 65 and older, Delaware County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Total per capita income excluding government transfers in Delaware County was $65,398, noticeably below the county’s total income of $78,228, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Delaware County saw a decrease of 19.4% in per capita government transfers, from $15,878 to $12,830 per capita.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.21% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.63% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022. In Delaware County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 7.1% (or $1,969 per capita) in 1970 to 16.4% (or $12,830 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Per Capita Transfers ($) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers ($) | Medicare Transfers ($) | Medicaid Transfers ($) | Income Maintenance Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron County | 1 | $18,415 | 36.42% | 29.51% | $28,805,000 | $23,501,000 | $16,300,000 | $6,725,000 |
| Venango County | 2 | $17,835 | 36.65% | 25% | $284,412,000 | $200,162,000 | $271,925,000 | $73,404,000 |
| Cambria County | 3 | $16,796 | 35% | 23.99% | $685,523,000 | $548,190,000 | $592,682,000 | $188,107,000 |
| Sullivan County | 4 | $16,605 | 29.62% | 31.67% | $38,202,000 | $24,550,000 | $22,177,000 | $5,078,000 |
| Fayette County | 5 | $16,531 | 34.26% | 22.67% | $637,383,000 | $489,458,000 | $558,731,000 | $235,191,000 |
| Philadelphia County | 6 | $16,072 | 28.31% | 14.72% | $4,319,547,000 | $4,571,319,000 | $10,913,364,000 | $4,036,311,000 |
| Lawrence County | 7 | $15,463 | 30.52% | 23.31% | $437,590,000 | $339,129,000 | $317,027,000 | $127,513,000 |
| Warren County | 8 | $15,398 | 31.35% | 24.72% | $210,948,000 | $147,383,000 | $130,661,000 | $45,374,000 |
| Blair County | 9 | $15,291 | 27.75% | 21.6% | $552,479,000 | $452,796,000 | $462,328,000 | $173,066,000 |
| Potter County | 10 | $15,254 | 31.53% | 25.65% | $89,762,000 | $63,958,000 | $50,895,000 | $20,356,000 |
| Crawford County | 11 | $15,142 | 31.72% | 22.65% | $414,529,000 | $353,133,000 | $267,099,000 | $111,590,000 |
| Wayne County | 12 | $14,968 | 28.2% | 25.59% | $291,510,000 | $235,197,000 | $124,252,000 | $51,923,000 |
| Mercer County | 13 | $14,941 | 31.22% | 23.14% | $568,813,000 | $414,735,000 | $386,718,000 | $149,262,000 |
| McKean County | 14 | $14,906 | 30.55% | 20.96% | $201,096,000 | $142,853,000 | $148,285,000 | $60,368,000 |
| Snyder County | 15 | $14,679 | 28.37% | 20.47% | $168,614,000 | $130,987,000 | $210,049,000 | $33,503,000 |
| Northumberland County | 16 | $14,644 | 30.73% | 22.25% | $435,229,000 | $359,849,000 | $308,017,000 | $122,374,000 |
| Beaver County | 17 | $14,576 | 26.59% | 22.73% | $870,161,000 | $565,377,000 | $615,427,000 | $188,786,000 |
| Greene County | 18 | $14,564 | 29.34% | 21% | $163,964,000 | $108,087,000 | $135,973,000 | $53,290,000 |
| Bedford County | 19 | $14,480 | 29.27% | 23.93% | $243,468,000 | $203,075,000 | $132,485,000 | $53,305,000 |
| Jefferson County | 20 | $14,431 | 30.3% | 22.17% | $214,022,000 | $175,864,000 | $140,845,000 | $52,075,000 |
| Armstrong County | 21 | $14,396 | 26.49% | 23.91% | $341,593,000 | $210,788,000 | $229,136,000 | $82,276,000 |
| Clearfield County | 22 | $14,270 | 27.3% | 22% | $380,557,000 | $289,305,000 | $258,903,000 | $96,173,000 |
| Clarion County | 23 | $14,222 | 30.61% | 20.5% | $182,229,000 | $126,000,000 | $137,465,000 | $44,115,000 |
| Somerset County | 24 | $14,166 | 29.75% | 23.88% | $372,403,000 | $280,854,000 | $210,227,000 | $82,465,000 |
| Westmoreland County | 25 | $14,161 | 23.8% | 24.26% | $1,979,488,000 | $1,274,175,000 | $1,063,192,000 | $340,112,000 |
| Erie County | 26 | $14,153 | 27.54% | 19.64% | $1,209,959,000 | $831,406,000 | $1,031,845,000 | $436,762,000 |
| Schuylkill County | 27 | $14,106 | 29% | 21% | $697,995,000 | $548,619,000 | $430,008,000 | $176,869,000 |
| Montour County | 28 | $13,951 | 21.1% | 21.85% | $89,995,000 | $71,250,000 | $58,225,000 | $14,888,000 |
| Elk County | 29 | $13,910 | 27.7% | 23.79% | $170,914,000 | $111,049,000 | $81,359,000 | $30,423,000 |
| Carbon County | 30 | $13,892 | 23.7% | 22.42% | $336,402,000 | $266,613,000 | $160,304,000 | $69,438,000 |
| Susquehanna County | 31 | $13,888 | 23.58% | 25.34% | $205,659,000 | $144,975,000 | $89,593,000 | $42,375,000 |
| Lackawanna County | 32 | $13,869 | 25.4% | 20.55% | $985,544,000 | $734,620,000 | $728,923,000 | $304,173,000 |
| Mifflin County | 33 | $13,572 | 29.43% | 21.8% | $214,195,000 | $158,149,000 | $147,698,000 | $59,030,000 |
| Lycoming County | 34 | $13,490 | 27% | 20.65% | $536,577,000 | $379,584,000 | $341,732,000 | $141,943,000 |
| Forest County | 35 | $13,416 | 47.9% | 25% | $33,995,000 | $24,244,000 | $18,420,000 | $5,136,000 |
| Luzerne County | 36 | $13,413 | 26.5% | 20.11% | $1,436,086,000 | $1,086,954,000 | $1,009,716,000 | $496,869,000 |
| Tioga County | 37 | $13,403 | 29.15% | 23.43% | $207,086,000 | $129,974,000 | $111,314,000 | $48,854,000 |
| Indiana County | 38 | $13,336 | 29.25% | 20.56% | $388,749,000 | $288,644,000 | $243,013,000 | $91,206,000 |
| Bradford County | 39 | $13,251 | 27.49% | 22.43% | $292,923,000 | $189,710,000 | $168,241,000 | $74,338,000 |
| Washington County | 40 | $13,241 | 19.98% | 21.96% | $1,103,545,000 | $692,553,000 | $579,679,000 | $205,389,000 |
| Fulton County | 41 | $13,201 | 27.49% | 22.65% | $71,473,000 | $52,460,000 | $37,841,000 | $15,792,000 |
| Huntingdon County | 42 | $13,171 | 29.24% | 22.42% | $203,532,000 | $139,473,000 | $132,017,000 | $47,365,000 |
| Wyoming County | 43 | $13,099 | 24.1% | 22.88% | $135,798,000 | $82,388,000 | $64,558,000 | $28,623,000 |
| Clinton County | 44 | $12,968 | 28.27% | 20% | $169,081,000 | $126,470,000 | $105,165,000 | $43,670,000 |
| Columbia County | 45 | $12,854 | 25.78% | 20.12% | $297,315,000 | $223,072,000 | $161,874,000 | $67,451,000 |
| Delaware County | 46 | $12,830 | 16.4% | 17.44% | $2,318,092,000 | $1,736,333,000 | $2,179,302,000 | $625,156,000 |
| Lebanon County | 47 | $12,548 | 22.32% | 20.44% | $656,606,000 | $461,734,000 | $374,473,000 | $152,665,000 |
| Dauphin County | 48 | $12,491 | 21.64% | 18% | $1,149,323,000 | $866,208,000 | $879,664,000 | $409,603,000 |
| Pike County | 49 | $12,484 | 21.89% | 24.13% | $326,304,000 | $189,339,000 | $119,017,000 | $51,387,000 |
| Lehigh County | 50 | $12,427 | 19.76% | 17.65% | $1,541,258,000 | $1,202,397,000 | $1,145,102,000 | $476,814,000 |
| Northampton County | 51 | $12,350 | 19.35% | 20.24% | $1,503,030,000 | $1,100,089,000 | $756,877,000 | $282,980,000 |
| Berks County | 52 | $12,311 | 21.15% | 18% | $1,770,384,000 | $1,344,674,000 | $1,278,799,000 | $523,981,000 |
| Allegheny County | 53 | $12,236 | 17.27% | 20.18% | $5,437,532,000 | $3,598,898,000 | $3,746,033,000 | $1,327,376,000 |
| Perry County | 54 | $12,147 | 22.48% | 20.56% | $209,780,000 | $157,878,000 | $91,255,000 | $40,518,000 |
| Monroe County | 55 | $12,099 | 22.98% | 19.6% | $754,142,000 | $523,022,000 | $377,787,000 | $181,582,000 |
| Franklin County | 56 | $12,092 | 21.9% | 20.27% | $696,076,000 | $518,962,000 | $377,546,000 | $152,186,000 |
| Juniata County | 57 | $11,913 | 21% | 21.4% | $103,020,000 | $71,146,000 | $56,482,000 | $21,689,000 |
| Adams County | 58 | $11,892 | 21.39% | 21.64% | $520,034,000 | $354,806,000 | $197,427,000 | $75,992,000 |
| York County | 59 | $11,831 | 20.64% | 18.79% | $1,999,942,000 | $1,445,897,000 | $1,082,025,000 | $462,929,000 |
| Bucks County | 60 | $11,805 | 13.61% | 20.58% | $3,141,530,000 | $2,175,292,000 | $1,359,388,000 | $373,835,000 |
| Butler County | 61 | $11,413 | 16.51% | 20.63% | $938,891,000 | $555,220,000 | $425,038,000 | $132,381,000 |
| Montgomery County | 62 | $11,142 | 11.9% | 18.8% | $3,817,473,000 | $2,654,101,000 | $1,981,606,000 | $502,790,000 |
| Lancaster County | 63 | $10,980 | 17.42% | 19.66% | $2,391,986,000 | $1,508,366,000 | $1,266,521,000 | $497,891,000 |
| Cumberland County | 64 | $10,959 | 16.83% | 18.95% | $1,130,762,000 | $839,566,000 | $466,030,000 | $196,183,000 |
| Union County | 65 | $9,898 | 19.38% | 19.27% | $169,425,000 | $110,908,000 | $80,205,000 | $28,693,000 |
| Chester County | 66 | $9,806 | 9.7% | 17.74% | $2,241,700,000 | $1,410,532,000 | $954,228,000 | $261,866,000 |
| Centre County | 67 | $8,841 | 16.17% | 15.97% | $531,681,000 | $374,609,000 | $206,651,000 | $73,491,000 |
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