About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Harrison County, West Virginia, are not working
In Harrison County, 27.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harrison County's score
In Harrison County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 64.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 61.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harrison 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.
Harrison County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (86.6, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.3% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.3% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,576 · 202459th percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.6 · 202529th percentile
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- 36.8 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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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 Harrison 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 Harrison County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harrison County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harrison County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Harrison County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.2% in 2022 to 14.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 13.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harrison County, West Virginia.
How Harrison County has changed
Harrison County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 77,464 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harrison County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County rose by about half to 37,414, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 31,744. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harrison County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,908 | 2024 $63,576 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Harrison County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 85,296. The 2020 Census counted 65,921, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A thunderstorm in July 1987 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Heavy rain in May 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harrison County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harrison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Harrison County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harrison County ranks 7th of the eight; Wetzel County is highest, at 38.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WV | 70 | 16.2% | 32.6% |
| Barbour County, WV | 70 | 19.3% | 35.2% |
| Upshur County, WV | 67 | 18.5% | 32.2% |
| Marion County, WV | 56 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Wetzel County, WV | 55 | 16.5% | 38.9% |
| Harrison County, WV | 54 | 14.2% | 24.9% |
| Doddridge County, WV | 52 | 19.2% | 23.8% |
| Taylor County, WV | 52 | 16.8% | 26.5% |
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 Harrison County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Harrison County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 44th 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, Harrison County ranks 40th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harrison 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.
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Legal Aid of West Virginia
Legal aid
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Mountain State Justice, Inc.
Legal aid
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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 Harrison 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 Harrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.