About one in five people in Marion County, West Virginia, has a disability
In Marion County, 18.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 63.0. About two in five people (44.9%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 66% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 58.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (78.8, 2025) and people without health insurance (6.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.9% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 56.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,504 · 202466th percentile
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- 50.6 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 41.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.8 · 202525th 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 Marion 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 Marion County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marion County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Marion County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2017 to 15.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.5%
High on the chart: 16.5% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marion County, West Virginia.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 65,964 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Marion County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 19,143 in 2015 to 16,035 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Marion County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 20,551 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,174 | 2024 $61,504 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Marion County's history
1842
Created January 14, 1842 from Monongalia and Harrison counties. Wikipedia
1876
Fire destroyed business district. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 71,521. The 2020 Census counted 56,205, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
Land subsidence from coal mine collapse. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in June 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in June 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Marion County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marion County ranks 2nd of the five; Wetzel County is highest, at 38.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, WV | 56 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Wetzel County, WV | 55 | 16.5% | 38.9% |
| Harrison County, WV | 54 | 14.2% | 24.9% |
| Taylor County, WV | 52 | 16.8% | 26.5% |
| Monongalia County, WV | 37 | 18.1% | 18.2% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 41st 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, Marion County ranks 38th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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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The Fairmont-morgantown Housing Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.