About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Barbour County, West Virginia, is not working
In Barbour County, 32.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barbour County's score
In Barbour County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.9. Late payments on loans come next, at 75.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barbour 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.
Barbour County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (32.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 75.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.6% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 69.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.3% · 202480th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,771 · 202487th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.6% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people32.5 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 31.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent6.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th 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 Barbour 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 Barbour County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barbour County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barbour County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 35.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Barbour County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barbour County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 16.7% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Barbour County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 14.3% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Barbour County, West Virginia.
How Barbour County has changed
Barbour County's population rose most sharply from its first year (13,809 in 1969) to 15,083 in 1974.
Barbour County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 16,852 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barbour County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Barbour County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 3,990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barbour County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.9% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.0% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,936 | 2024 $52,771 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Barbour County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,869. The 2020 Census counted 15,465, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barbour County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barbour County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Barbour County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barbour County ranks 2nd of the seven; Randolph County is highest, at 36.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County, WV | 77 | 17.3% | 36.8% |
| Barbour County, WV | 70 | 19.3% | 35.2% |
| Upshur County, WV | 67 | 18.5% | 32.2% |
| Harrison County, WV | 54 | 14.2% | 24.9% |
| Preston County, WV | 54 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| Taylor County, WV | 52 | 16.8% | 26.5% |
| Tucker County, WV | 37 | 14.7% | 32.8% |
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 Barbour County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Barbour County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 13th highest of 55 in West Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McDowell County, at 38.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Barbour County ranks 22nd of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barbour 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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Legal Aid of West Virginia
Legal aid
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Mountain State Justice, Inc.
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 Barbour 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 Barbour County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.