About one in four people in Hampshire County, West Virginia, has a disability
In Hampshire County, 24.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hampshire County's score
In Hampshire County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 63.6. Jobs come next, at 63.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hampshire 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.
Hampshire County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (5.9%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (67.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability24.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,929 · 202458th percentile
-
- 63.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
-
- 49.4 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 rent5.9% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.2% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
-
- 48.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.8% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
-
- 33.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people67.7 · 202518th 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hampshire County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hampshire County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Hampshire County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hampshire County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 8.4% in 2013 to 10.4% in 2014; 10.9% in 2015 to 12.9% in 2016.
The share of households in Hampshire County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.7%
High on the chart: 15.4% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hampshire County, West Virginia.
How Hampshire County has changed
Hampshire County's population had its largest rise, from 16,184 in 1989 to 18,307 in 1994.
Hampshire County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,793
High on the chart: 23,820 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hampshire County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hampshire County rose by about a third to 4,248, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,248. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hampshire County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,522 | 2024 $63,929 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Hampshire County's history
1754
December 13, 1754, oldest county formed within present boundaries of West Virginia. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 23,964. The 2020 Census counted 23,093, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hampshire County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hampshire County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hampshire County, in West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hampshire County ranks 4th of the five; Allegany County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, MD | 64 | 16.6% | 38.3% |
| Hampshire County, WV | 52 | 14.1% | 30.0% |
| Hardy County, WV | 49 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 | 13.2% | 32.8% |
| Morgan County, WV | 26 | 11.2% | 33.5% |
| Frederick County, VA | 14 | 6.3% | — |
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 Hampshire County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Hampshire County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 45th 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, Hampshire County ranks 42nd of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.