Boone County, West Virginia
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Boone County, West Virginia ranks 273rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 273rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 75.6 · high county distress, 4th in West Virginia.
- 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Disability rate at 24% — national median 16%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 42% — national median 23%, ranked at the 96th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 16-point drop to Kanawha County marks where the WV coalfields distress corridor ends.
"Boone County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Boone County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 24th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 80th percentile. The gap stands out against disability rate and median household income. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Madison.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Boone County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Boone County's value shown alongside WV's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Boone | WV median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 82 · Rank 466 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 81st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 7% | 5% | 88th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 31% | 26% | 23% | 78th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 73 · Rank 631 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 42% | 28% | 23% | 96th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 126 | 69 | 126 | 50th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 70 · Rank 740 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 21% | 21% | 56th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 16% | 18% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 77 · Rank 673 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 77th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 566 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 25% | 22% | 18% | 80th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 24% | 20% | 16% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 18% | 14% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 24th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Boone County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 146-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MADISON, W.Va. — Boone County ranks 273rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 75.6 out of 100 gives Boone a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 272 counties rank more distressed. Within West Virginia, Boone ranks fourth of 55 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Boone. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
"Boone County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Boone County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Boone County's distress score?
How does Boone County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Boone County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →