In McDowell County, West Virginia, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2014
In 2024, 52 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives McDowell County's score
In McDowell County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 10.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 87.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McDowell 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.
McDowell County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (51.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year10.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working53.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 87.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line38.4% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line41.7% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability29.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$35,721 · 2024top 5%
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- 85.8 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income31.7% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 83.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score61.2% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 52.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.0% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.6 · 202510th 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McDowell County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McDowell County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across West Virginia
In McDowell County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 52.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McDowell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 23.8% in 2013 to 27.2% in 2014.
The share of households in McDowell County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 36.5%
High on the chart: 37.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McDowell County, West Virginia.
How McDowell County has changed
McDowell County's population had its largest drop, from 46,083 in 1984 to 36,364 in 1989.
McDowell County's population fell by more than half to 17,147, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 51,150 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McDowell County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McDowell County fell 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 5,801. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McDowell County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.4% | 2025 9.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.4% | 2024 38.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,675 | 2024 $35,721 |
The table uses 9.9% for 2025; the score uses 10.5% 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 McDowell County's history
1921
Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency assassinated Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers at McDowell County Courthouse in Welch on August 1, 1921. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 98,887. The 2020 Census counted 19,111, 19% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
Food Stamps program created by President John F. Kennedy's first executive order with first recipients in McDowell County. Wikipedia
2001
A flash flood in July 2001 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in May 2002 did $85 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in February 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in February 2025 did $5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McDowell County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
McDowell County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border McDowell County, in West Virginia and Virginia, two score higher. Of the group, McDowell County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (52.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo County, WV | 96 | 25.7% | 46.1% |
| Buchanan County, VA | 96 | 23.5% | 44.5% |
| McDowell County, WV | 95 | 38.4% | 52.2% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 93 | 24.8% | 42.0% |
| Tazewell County, VA | 88 | 17.4% | 37.1% |
| Mercer County, WV | 76 | 17.9% | 40.1% |
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 McDowell County the poorest county in West Virginia?
Yes, McDowell County's poverty rate was 38.4% in 2024, the highest of 55 counties in West Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, McDowell County ranks 3rd of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.