About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Braxton County, West Virginia, are not working
In Braxton County, 39.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Braxton County's score
In Braxton County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.0. Income and the safety net comes next, at 74.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Braxton 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.
Braxton County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (65.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working39.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 74.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.5% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,011 · 202486th percentile
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- 55.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.0% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 44.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.0% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people65.8 · 202517th percentile
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- 42.3 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 rent14.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th 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 Braxton 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 Braxton County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Braxton County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Braxton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 17% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Braxton County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Braxton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2022 to 21.5% in 2023.
The share of households in Braxton County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2022, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 15.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Braxton County, West Virginia.
How Braxton County has changed
Braxton County's population had its largest drop, from 13,843 in 2014 to 12,666 in 2019.
Braxton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 14,696 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Braxton County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Braxton County rose by about half to 4,975, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,975. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Braxton County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.2% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,760 | 2024 $53,011 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Braxton County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 23,973. The 2020 Census counted 12,447, 52% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Braxton County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Braxton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Braxton County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Braxton County ranks 4th of the seven; Webster County is highest, at 50.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, WV | 97 | 24.4% | 50.0% |
| Clay County, WV | 92 | 20.1% | 40.7% |
| Calhoun County, WV | 88 | 22.9% | 45.1% |
| Nicholas County, WV | 75 | 16.4% | 40.3% |
| Lewis County, WV | 70 | 16.2% | 32.6% |
| Braxton County, WV | 64 | 19.9% | 40.5% |
| Gilmer County, WV | 64 | 26.8% | 35.2% |
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 Braxton County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Braxton County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 12th 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, Braxton County ranks 29th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Braxton 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 Braxton 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 Braxton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.