Unemployment in Hancock County, West Virginia, is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties
In Hancock County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.9. Late payments on loans come next, at 74.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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.
Hancock County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
-
- 74.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.0% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
-
- 60.5 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
-
- 58.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.5% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,526 · 202465th percentile
-
- 54.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people106.6 · 202539th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hancock County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hancock County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hancock County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 17.2% in 2023 to 15.1% in 2024.
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 15.1%
Low on the chart: 10.6% 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, Hancock County, West Virginia.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population had its largest drop, from 39,383 in 1984 to 35,590 in 1989.
Hancock County's population fell 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 40,043 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 10,035 in 2015 to 8,490 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County fell by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,742
High on the chart: 16,434 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.1% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,793 | 2024 $61,526 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Hancock County's history
1848
January 15, 1848, formed from Brooke County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 40,418. The 2020 Census counted 29,095, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Hancock County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hancock County ranks 3rd of the six; Jefferson County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, WV | 75 | 13.6% | 31.6% |
| Jefferson County, OH | 72 | 17.7% | 33.9% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 69 | 14.7% | 32.4% |
| Brooke County, WV | 62 | 13.6% | 29.0% |
| Beaver County, PA | 45 | 11.2% | 27.5% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 48th 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, Hancock County ranks 16th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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.
-
Change, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.