In Mineral County, West Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Mineral County, 17.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mineral County's score
In Mineral County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 68.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 31.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 52.1 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mineral 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.
Even so, Mineral County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 51.8 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 46.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.3% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,375 · 202459th percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.5% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.1 · 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 Mineral 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 Mineral County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mineral County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mineral County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Mineral County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mineral County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2019 to 14.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Mineral County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2012, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.8% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mineral County, West Virginia.
How Mineral County has changed
Mineral County's population rose 13% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 28,080 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mineral County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Mineral County had its largest rise, from 5,632 in 1995 to 6,632 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Mineral County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 5,632 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mineral County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,810 | 2024 $63,375 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Mineral County's history
1866
Founded February 1, 1866. Wikipedia
1877
Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 28,212. The 2020 Census counted 26,938, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mineral County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mineral County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Mineral County, in West Virginia and Maryland, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mineral County ranks 3rd of the five; Allegany County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, MD | 64 | 16.6% | 38.3% |
| Hampshire County, WV | 52 | 14.1% | 30.0% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 | 13.2% | 32.8% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
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 Mineral County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Mineral County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 50th 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, Mineral County ranks 48th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mineral 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 Mineral 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 Mineral County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.