Mason County, West Virginia
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Mason County, West Virginia ranks 1,853rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 1,853rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 45.5 · moderate-low county distress, 42nd in West Virginia.
- 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 18% — national median 14%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Debt in collections at 29% — national median 23%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 24 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 94th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 27-point drop to Putnam County marks where the West Virginia distress corridor ends.
Mason County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Mason County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 21st percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 74th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Point Pleasant.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Mason County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Mason County's value shown alongside WV's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Mason | WV median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 71 · Rank 810 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 60th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 7% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 26% | 23% | 60th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 53 · Rank 1,402 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 29% | 28% | 23% | 70th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 101 | 69 | 126 | 37th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 24 · Rank 2,628 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 21% | 21% | 40th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 8% | 16% | 18% | 9th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 13 · Rank 2,697 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 13th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 939 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 22% | 18% | 74th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 19% | 20% | 16% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 18% | 14% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 21st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Mason County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Mason County ranks 1,853rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 45.5 out of 100 gives Mason a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,852 counties rank more distressed. Within West Virginia, Mason ranks 42nd of 55 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Mason. 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mason County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Mason County's distress score?
How does Mason County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Mason County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →