In Grant County, West Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Grant County, 20.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 56% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grant County's score
In Grant County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 68.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 31.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.7%, August 2025, lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grant 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.
Even so, Grant County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($56,277, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.5 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 rent27.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
-
- 55.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
-
- 54.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,277 · 202480th percentile
-
- 36.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people9.2 · 20255th or lower percentile
-
- 31.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.2% · second quarter of 202633rd 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 Grant 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 Grant County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grant County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Grant County had its largest rise, from 24.4% in 2004 to 29.8% in 2009.
In Grant County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Grant County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 2022 to 15.5% in 2023.
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.2% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grant County, West Virginia.
How Grant County has changed
Grant County's population had its largest rise, from 9,223 in 1974 to 10,026 in 1979.
Grant County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 11,963 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grant County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Grant County had its largest drop, from 5,124 in 1990 to 4,599 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Grant County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,742, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 3,250 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grant County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,112 | 2024 $56,277 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Grant County's history
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 11,937. The 2020 Census counted 10,976, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grant County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grant County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Grant County, in West Virginia and Maryland, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grant County ranks 3rd of the eight; Pendleton County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County, WV | 77 | 17.3% | 36.8% |
| Preston County, WV | 54 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| Hardy County, WV | 49 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 | 13.2% | 32.8% |
| Tucker County, WV | 37 | 14.7% | 32.8% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 25 | 12.2% | 39.1% |
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 Grant County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Grant County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 43rd 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, Grant County ranks 46th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grant 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.
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 Grant County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.