About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Lincoln County, West Virginia, are not working
In Lincoln County, 44.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lincoln 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.
Lincoln County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working44.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 88.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.0% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.4% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 78.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.4% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.3% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability29.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,285 · 202493rd percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.6% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people132 · 202552nd percentile
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- 43.4 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 rent10.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.5% · fiscal year 202774th 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lincoln County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lincoln County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 36.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Lincoln County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 26.9% in 2021 to 25.1% in 2022.
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 24.0%
Low on the chart: 22.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lincoln County, West Virginia.
How Lincoln County has changed
Lincoln County's population had its largest rise, from 20,408 in 1974 to 23,325 in 1979.
Lincoln County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 23,325 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lincoln County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County had its largest drop, from 3,064 in 2010 to 2,577 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 3,084 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lincoln County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.5% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.9% | 2024 21.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,881 | 2024 $48,285 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Lincoln County's history
1867
Created February 23, 1867 from Boone, Cabell, Kanawha and Putnam counties. Wikipedia
1900
Gas boom. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 23,675. The 2020 Census counted 20,463, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A flood in March 2015 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Heavy rain in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 27 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lincoln County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lincoln County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lincoln County ranks 4th of the eight; Mingo County is highest, at 46.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo County, WV | 96 | 25.7% | 46.1% |
| Boone County, WV | 93 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Logan County, WV | 91 | 21.1% | 42.4% |
| Lincoln County, WV | 89 | 21.4% | 36.9% |
| Cabell County, WV | 81 | 17.2% | 29.0% |
| Wayne County, WV | 75 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
| Putnam County, WV | 30 | 9.6% | 22.3% |
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 Lincoln County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 21.4% in 2024, 8th 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, Lincoln County ranks 9th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.