About one in 12 people in Jefferson County, West Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Jefferson County, 8.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 34.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 16.7. The typical household earns $92,550 a year (2024), more than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 34.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.1% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.6 · 202530th percentile
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- 33.5 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 rent17.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 32.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.7% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,550 · 20248th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2010 to 9.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.9%
Low on the chart: 5.0% 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, Jefferson County, West Virginia.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 47,163 in 2004 to 53,054 in 2009.
Jefferson County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 61,264, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 57,546. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County nearly doubled to 17,136, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 17,136. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 8.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,714 | 2024 $92,550 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Jefferson County's history
1801
Created October 26, 1801 from Berkeley County. Wikipedia
2002
A thunderstorm in May 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 57,701, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A thunderstorm in May 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Jefferson County, in West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 3rd of the five; Washington County is highest, at 24.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MD | 52 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Berkeley County, WV | 44 | 11.0% | 19.4% |
| Clarke County, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 16.6% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 17 | 8.7% | 18.6% |
| Frederick County, VA | 14 | 6.3% | — |
| Loudoun County, VA | 3 | 4.3% | 6.5% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 8.7% in 2024, the lowest 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, Jefferson County ranks 55th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.