About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Clay County, West Virginia, are not working
In Clay County, 40.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clay County's score
In Clay County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 7.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 91.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clay 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.
Clay County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (64.2, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working40.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 91.0 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 rent30.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 76.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.1% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.6% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,528 · 202493rd percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.3% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.1% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people64.2 · 202516th 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 Clay 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 Clay County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clay County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clay County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 40.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Clay County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 24.4% in 2015 to 28.9% in 2016.
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2013, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 22.2% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clay County, West Virginia.
How Clay County has changed
Clay County's population had its largest rise, from 9,607 in 1974 to 10,758 in 1979.
Clay County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 11,201 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clay County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Clay County had its largest drop, from 1,863 in 2010 to 1,386 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Clay County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,973 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clay County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 16.6% | 2025 7.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.5% | 2024 20.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,124 | 2024 $48,528 |
The table uses 7.7% for 2025; the score uses 7.4% 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 Clay County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 15,206. The 2020 Census counted 8,051, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in June 2016 did $9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in June 2016 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clay County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clay County beside its neighbors
Clay County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clay County ranks 2nd of the six; Calhoun County is highest, at 45.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, WV | 92 | 20.1% | 40.7% |
| Calhoun County, WV | 88 | 22.9% | 45.1% |
| Nicholas County, WV | 75 | 16.4% | 40.3% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
| Roane County, WV | 68 | 19.2% | 40.1% |
| Braxton County, WV | 64 | 19.9% | 40.5% |
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 Clay County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Clay County's poverty rate was 20.1% in 2024, 11th 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, Clay County ranks 7th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clay 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.
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 Clay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.