#1,922 West Virginia · 2026

Harrison County, West Virginia

44.2 · moderate-low county distress 1,922nd of 3,144 counties nationally · 64,639 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
26% Harrison residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Near the national median for subprime credit share.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 32 words · paste-ready

Harrison County, West Virginia ranks 1,922nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Harrison sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 1,922nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 44.2 · moderate-low county distress, 44th in West Virginia.
  • 26% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 60th percentile nationally. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
  • Poverty rate at 14% — national median 14%, ranked at the 57th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 35 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Harrison County, West Virginia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Harrison and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Harrison County ranks 1,922nd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Harrison 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

3.8% -5.1 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.2% -2.9 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.9% +13.6 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

25.7% -4.2 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Harrison County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Harrison 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 Harrison County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Harrison WV median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 59 · Rank 1,245 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 6% 5% 59th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 7% 5% 59th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 26% 26% 23% 60th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 47 · Rank 1,699 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 27% 28% 23% 64th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 87 69 126 29th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 35 · Rank 2,187 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 21% 21% 33rd HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 16% 16% 18% 38th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 30 · Rank 2,157 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 30th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 50 · Rank 1,566 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 16% 22% 18% 38th 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 14% 18% 14% 57th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 6% 8% 40th 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 59
Weight 20% · Rank 1,245 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,566 of 3,144
Default & Legal 47
Weight 20% · Rank 1,699 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 35
Weight 20% · Rank 2,187 of 3,144
Labor 30
Weight 20% · Rank 2,157 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 Harrison 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 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Harrison County ranks 1,922nd 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 44.2 out of 100 gives Harrison a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,921 counties rank more distressed. Within West Virginia, Harrison ranks 44th 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Harrison County scores 44.2 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 1,922nd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 44th of 55 West Virginia counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Harrison County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 59. Subprime credit share ranks at the 60th percentile nationally.

How does Harrison County compare to its neighbors?

Harrison County's neighbors span two CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Lewis County (56.43, moderate county distress). Lowest: Taylor County (42.28, 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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