#1,985 West Virginia · 2026

Doddridge County, West Virginia

43.2 · moderate-low county distress 1,985th of 3,144 counties nationally · 7,680 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
10% Doddridge residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 32 words · paste-ready

Doddridge County, West Virginia ranks 1,985th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Doddridge sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 1,985th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 43.2 · moderate-low county distress, 47th in West Virginia.
  • 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Poverty rate at 19% — national median 14%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 29% — national median 23%, ranked at the 71st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

County Distress Index cluster map. Doddridge County, West Virginia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Doddridge and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Doddridge County ranks 1,985th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Doddridge County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 30 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.7% -4.0 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

19.2% -2.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

23.8% +6.6 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

31.2% +1.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Doddridge County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Doddridge County's value shown alongside WV's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Doddridge County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Doddridge WV median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 79 · Rank 559 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 6% 5% 65th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 10% 7% 5% 95th 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 38 · Rank 2,090 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 29% 28% 23% 71st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 26 69 126 5th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 19 · Rank 2,801 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 20% 21% 21% 34th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 4% 16% 18% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 16 · Rank 2,606 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 16th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 64 · Rank 1,046 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 20% 22% 18% 62nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 16% 20% 16% 54th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 19% 18% 14% 82nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 8% 6% 8% 52nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 79
Weight 20% · Rank 559 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 64
Weight 20% · Rank 1,046 of 3,144
Default & Legal 38
Weight 20% · Rank 2,090 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,801 of 3,144
Labor 16
Weight 20% · Rank 2,606 of 3,144

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 Doddridge County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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WEST UNION, W.Va. — Doddridge County ranks 1,985th 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 43.2 out of 100 gives Doddridge a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,984 counties rank more distressed. Within West Virginia, Doddridge ranks 47th 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, finds Doddridge sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Doddridge County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Doddridge County scores 43.2 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 1,985th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 47th of 55 West Virginia counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Doddridge County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 79. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Doddridge County compare to its neighbors?

Doddridge County's neighbors span two CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Lewis County (56.43, moderate county distress). Lowest: Harrison County (44.20, moderate-low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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