(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s two leading cities are among the places nationwide with the most people in financial distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new analysis from WalletHub ranked Philadelphia No. 14 and Pittsburgh No. 84 on a list of the top 100 cities.

To compile its list, WalletHub looked at data across nine metrics for the 100 largest cities “without data limitations.” As part of their review, they examined the change in the number of bankruptcy filings, accounts in distress and credit scores.

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are struggling financially,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said in an email. “Being in financial distress means people are finding it difficult to meet their current financial obligations. This can lead to drops in credit score, being late on their bill payments, racking up more debt, or even filing for bankruptcy.”

Nationally, Las Vegas topped the list, followed by Chicago and Houston. San Antonio, Texas, and Dallas rounded out the top five, while Anchorage, Alaska; Madison, Wisconsin; and Jersey City, New Jersey, rounded out the bottom three cities.

According to the study, 37.7 percent of Philadelphians had an account in distress in September, up 12.6 percent from January. During that same period, 34.9 percent of Pittsburgh residents had distressed accounts, up 11.6 percent from January.

The higher-ranking municipalities on WalletHub’s list are larger cities. Gonzalez said in those places, the residents generally had lower credit scores and searched more for information about debt and loans.

However, a recovery in the wake of the pandemic could be smoother in larger cities with more purchase power and where more people worked from home, Gonzalez said. However, she added, it depends on how soon a recovery begins.

Neighboring New Jersey had two cities in the top 100 – Newark and Jersey City – while Ohio had four — Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. Baltimore also ranked on the list, as did Buffalo, New York, and New York City.

According to the study, 37.7 percent of Philadelphians had an account in distress in September, up 12.6 percent from January. During that same period, 34.9 percent of Pittsburgh residents had distressed accounts, up 11.6 percent from January.

Meanwhile, bankruptcy filings in Pittsburgh are down 14.4 percent, while they are down nearly 20.5 percent in Philadelphia.

In Philadelphia, the average credit score in September was 642, up 3.5 percent from January, while Pittsburgh’s average score was 687, an increase of nearly 2.7 percent since January.

The WalletHub analysis excluded Lexington, Kentucky; St. Paul, Minnesota; and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Todd DeFeo is a contributor for The Center Square.

This piece was originally published in The Center Square. Read the original article here.