About three in ten people with a credit file in Cabell County, West Virginia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Cabell County, 31.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cabell County's score
In Cabell County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 74.2. About three in ten renters (28.4%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cabell 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.
Cabell County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
-
- 72.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.2% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
-
- 67.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,512 · 202476th percentile
-
- 67.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.2% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142.3 · 202557th percentile
-
- 60.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
-
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 Cabell 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 Cabell County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cabell County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cabell County had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 1969 to 14.6% in 1974.
In Cabell County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Cabell County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cabell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.9% in 2010 to 16.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Cabell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 16.7%
Low on the chart: 13.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cabell County, West Virginia.
How Cabell County has changed
Cabell County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 107,575 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cabell County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cabell County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 49,290. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cabell County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,684 | 2024 $57,512 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Cabell County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 108,202. The 2020 Census counted 94,350, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in December 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in May 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cabell County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cabell County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cabell County, in West Virginia and Ohio, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cabell County ranks 6th of the seven; Gallia County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, WV | 89 | 21.4% | 36.9% |
| Cabell County, WV | 81 | 17.2% | 29.0% |
| Gallia County, OH | 80 | 20.1% | 37.0% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
| Wayne County, WV | 75 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Mason County, WV | 61 | 16.3% | 36.4% |
| Putnam County, WV | 30 | 9.6% | 22.3% |
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 Cabell County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Cabell County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 26th 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, Cabell County ranks 13th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cabell 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.
-
Legal Aid of West Virginia
Legal aid
-
Mountain State Justice, Inc.
Legal aid
-
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 Cabell 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 Cabell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.