About three in ten people in Logan County, West Virginia, have a disability
In Logan County, 29.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Logan County's score
In Logan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.7. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (34.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 92.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Logan 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.
Logan County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (81.1, 2025) and people without health insurance (6.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 92.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.0% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.0% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.3% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 80.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.1% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.9% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability29.6% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,120 · 202494th percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.1% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people81.1 · 202526th percentile
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- 58.8 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd 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 Logan 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 Logan County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Logan County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Logan County had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 1969 to 24.7% in 1974.
In Logan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 42.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Logan County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Logan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.0% in 2015 to 24.1% in 2016.
The share of households in Logan County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 27.9%
High on the chart: 28.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Logan County, West Virginia.
How Logan County has changed
Logan County's population had its largest drop, from 49,477 in 1984 to 43,813 in 1989.
Logan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 40% since
High on the chart: 51,339 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Logan County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Logan County had its largest rise in the last span, from 9,112 in 2020 to 11,617 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Logan County fell 5% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 9,112 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Logan County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.6% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.2% | 2024 21.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,618 | 2024 $48,120 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Logan County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 77,391. The 2020 Census counted 32,567, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $3.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flood in May 2001 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in March 2012 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Logan County, 25 of them for flooding. FEMA
Logan County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Logan County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Logan County ranks 2nd of the five; Mingo County is highest, at 46.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo County, WV | 96 | 25.7% | 46.1% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 93 | 24.8% | 42.0% |
| Boone County, WV | 93 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Logan County, WV | 91 | 21.1% | 42.4% |
| Lincoln County, WV | 89 | 21.4% | 36.9% |
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 Logan County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Logan County's poverty rate was 21.1% in 2024, 9th 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, Logan County ranks 8th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Logan 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.
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 Logan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.