About one in five people in Marshall County, West Virginia, has a disability
In Marshall County, 19.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 77.0. People with a credit card behind: 7.9%, August 2025, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 72.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Marshall County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (57.8, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.1% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 72.4 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 rent28.0% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.1% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,419 · 202474th percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 37.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.8 · 202513th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.3% in 2004 to 28.3% in 2009.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 11.2% 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, Marshall County, West Virginia.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest drop, from 40,062 in 1984 to 37,692 in 1989.
Marshall County's population fell by about a quarter to 29,354, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 41,179 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County fell 7% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2000 to 2005, reaching 10,927. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,657 | 2024 $58,419 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Marshall County's history
1835
Created March 12, 1835 from Ohio County. Wikipedia
1924
Benwood coal mine disaster. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 41,608. The 2020 Census counted 30,591, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
Fostoria Glass Company plant closure. Wikipedia
2017
A flash flood in July 2017 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in April 2024 did $3.57 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Marshall County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 5th of the seven; Wetzel County is highest, at 38.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, WV | 72 | 17.6% | 27.8% |
| Ohio County, WV | 71 | 19.2% | 25.6% |
| Belmont County, OH | 69 | 15.1% | 28.8% |
| Greene County, PA | 66 | 17.7% | 28.9% |
| Wetzel County, WV | 55 | 16.5% | 38.9% |
| Monroe County, OH | 46 | 13.8% | 35.9% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Marshall County ranks 19th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.