In 2022, Social Security transfers in Union County totaled $169.43 million, amounting to $3,964 per capita, or 40% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicare was the second largest contributor, totaling $110.91 million, equating to $2,595 per capita and making up 26.2% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Pennsylvania amounted to $56.25 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $4,336 per capita, or 33.4% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $168.46 billion, accounting for 20.1% of residents’ total income, with an average of $12,986 per resident.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Union County in 2022, accounting for $80.21 million, averaging $1,876 per capita, representing 19% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $28.69 million, averaging $671 per capita and comprising 6.8% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
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).
With 19.3% of the population aged 65 and older, Union County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Union County, excluding government transfers was $41,190, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $51,089, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Union County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.5%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
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 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Union County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 10.6% (or $2,159 per capita) in 1970 to 19.4% (or $9,899 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County | 1 | 28.3% | 14.7% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 12.3% | 4.5% | $16,072 |
| Allegheny County | 2 | 17.3% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 1.5% | $12,236 |
| Montgomery County | 3 | 11.9% | 18.8% | 4.7% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 0.6% | $11,142 |
| Bucks County | 4 | 13.6% | 20.6% | 5.6% | 3.9% | 2.4% | 0.7% | $11,805 |
| Delaware County | 5 | 16.4% | 17.4% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 1.4% | $12,830 |
| Lancaster County | 6 | 17.4% | 19.7% | 6.8% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 1.4% | $10,980 |
| York County | 7 | 20.6% | 18.8% | 7.6% | 5.5% | 4.1% | 1.8% | $11,831 |
| Chester County | 8 | 9.7% | 17.7% | 4.1% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 0.5% | $9,806 |
| Berks County | 9 | 21.2% | 18% | 7.1% | 5.4% | 5.1% | 2.1% | $12,311 |
| Westmoreland County | 10 | 23.8% | 24.3% | 9.5% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 1.6% | $14,161 |
| Lehigh County | 11 | 19.8% | 17.7% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.8% | 2% | $12,427 |
| Luzerne County | 12 | 26.5% | 20.1% | 8.7% | 6.6% | 6.1% | 3% | $13,413 |
| Northampton County | 13 | 19.4% | 20.2% | 7.4% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 1.4% | $12,350 |
| Erie County | 14 | 27.5% | 19.6% | 8.8% | 6% | 7.5% | 3.2% | $14,153 |
| Dauphin County | 15 | 21.6% | 18.1% | 6.9% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 2.5% | $12,491 |
| Lackawanna County | 16 | 25.4% | 20.6% | 8.4% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 2.6% | $13,869 |
| Cumberland County | 17 | 16.8% | 19% | 6.5% | 4.8% | 2.7% | 1.1% | $10,959 |
| Washington County | 18 | 20% | 22% | 7.9% | 5% | 4.2% | 1.5% | $13,241 |
| Beaver County | 19 | 26.6% | 22.7% | 9.6% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 2.1% | $14,576 |
| Butler County | 20 | 16.5% | 20.6% | 6.9% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 1% | $11,413 |
| Cambria County | 21 | 35% | 24% | 10.9% | 8.7% | 9.4% | 3% | $16,796 |
| Fayette County | 22 | 34.3% | 22.7% | 10.5% | 8.1% | 9.2% | 3.9% | $16,531 |
| Monroe County | 23 | 23% | 19.6% | 8.6% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 2.1% | $12,099 |
| Schuylkill County | 24 | 29% | 21% | 10% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 2.5% | $14,106 |
| Franklin County | 25 | 21.9% | 20.3% | 8% | 6% | 4.4% | 1.8% | $12,092 |
| Blair County | 26 | 27.8% | 21.6% | 8.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 2.6% | $15,291 |
| Lebanon County | 27 | 22.3% | 20.4% | 8.1% | 5.7% | 4.6% | 1.9% | $12,548 |
| Mercer County | 28 | 31.2% | 23.1% | 10.9% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 2.9% | $14,941 |
| Lycoming County | 29 | 27.1% | 20.7% | 9.5% | 6.7% | 6.1% | 2.5% | $13,490 |
| Centre County | 30 | 16.2% | 16% | 6.1% | 4.3% | 2.4% | 0.8% | $8,841 |
| Northumberland County | 31 | 30.7% | 22.3% | 10.1% | 8.4% | 7.2% | 2.8% | $14,644 |
| Lawrence County | 32 | 30.5% | 23.3% | 10.2% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 3% | $15,463 |
| Adams County | 33 | 21.4% | 21.6% | 8.8% | 6% | 3.3% | 1.3% | $11,892 |
| Crawford County | 34 | 31.7% | 22.7% | 10.5% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 2.8% | $15,142 |
| Clearfield County | 35 | 27.3% | 22% | 9.3% | 7.1% | 6.4% | 2.4% | $14,270 |
| Indiana County | 36 | 29.3% | 20.6% | 10.3% | 7.6% | 6.4% | 2.4% | $13,336 |
| Somerset County | 37 | 29.8% | 23.9% | 10.8% | 8.1% | 6.1% | 2.4% | $14,166 |
| Armstrong County | 38 | 26.5% | 23.9% | 9.7% | 6% | 6.5% | 2.3% | $14,396 |
| Carbon County | 39 | 23.7% | 22.4% | 8.8% | 6.9% | 4.2% | 1.8% | $13,892 |
| Venango County | 40 | 36.7% | 25% | 11.7% | 8.3% | 11.2% | 3% | $17,835 |
| Columbia County | 41 | 25.8% | 20.1% | 9.2% | 6.9% | 5% | 2.1% | $12,854 |
| Bradford County | 42 | 27.5% | 22.4% | 10.2% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 2.6% | $13,251 |
| Wayne County | 43 | 28.2% | 25.6% | 10.7% | 8.7% | 4.6% | 1.9% | $14,968 |
| Pike County | 44 | 21.9% | 24.1% | 9.4% | 5.5% | 3.4% | 1.5% | $12,484 |
| Bedford County | 45 | 29.3% | 23.9% | 10.4% | 8.7% | 5.6% | 2.3% | $14,480 |
| Jefferson County | 46 | 30.3% | 22.2% | 10.3% | 8.4% | 6.8% | 2.5% | $14,431 |
| Mifflin County | 47 | 29.4% | 21.8% | 10.1% | 7.5% | 7% | 2.8% | $13,572 |
| McKean County | 48 | 30.6% | 21% | 10.3% | 7.3% | 7.6% | 3.1% | $14,906 |
| Warren County | 49 | 31.4% | 24.7% | 11.4% | 7.9% | 7% | 2.4% | $15,398 |
| Snyder County | 50 | 28.4% | 20.5% | 8.2% | 6.4% | 10.2% | 1.6% | $14,679 |
| Huntingdon County | 51 | 29.2% | 22.4% | 10.4% | 7.2% | 6.8% | 2.4% | $13,171 |
| Perry County | 52 | 22.5% | 20.6% | 8.4% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 1.6% | $12,147 |
| Tioga County | 53 | 29.2% | 23.4% | 11% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 2.6% | $13,403 |
| Clarion County | 54 | 30.6% | 20.5% | 10.5% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 2.5% | $14,222 |
| Susquehanna County | 55 | 23.6% | 25.3% | 9.2% | 6.5% | 4% | 1.9% | $13,888 |
| Greene County | 56 | 29.3% | 21% | 9.5% | 6.3% | 7.9% | 3.1% | $14,564 |
| Clinton County | 57 | 28.3% | 20% | 9.7% | 7.3% | 6% | 2.5% | $12,968 |
| Elk County | 58 | 27.7% | 23.8% | 11.2% | 7.3% | 5.3% | 2% | $13,910 |
| Union County | 59 | 19.4% | 19.3% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 3.7% | 1.3% | $9,898 |
| Wyoming County | 60 | 24.1% | 22.9% | 9.6% | 5.8% | 4.6% | 2% | $13,099 |
| Juniata County | 61 | 21% | 21.4% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 1.6% | $11,913 |
| Montour County | 62 | 21.1% | 21.9% | 7.5% | 6% | 4.9% | 1.2% | $13,951 |
| Potter County | 63 | 31.5% | 25.7% | 11.4% | 8.2% | 6.5% | 2.6% | $15,254 |
| Fulton County | 64 | 27.5% | 22.7% | 10.2% | 7.5% | 5.4% | 2.3% | $13,201 |
| Sullivan County | 65 | 29.6% | 31.7% | 11.6% | 7.5% | 6.8% | 1.5% | $16,605 |
| Forest County | 66 | 47.9% | 25.1% | 18.3% | 13.1% | 9.9% | 2.8% | $13,416 |
| Cameron County | 67 | 36.4% | 29.5% | 12.9% | 10.5% | 7.3% | 3% | $18,415 |
