About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Monroe County, West Virginia, is not working
In Monroe County, 34.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Monroe 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.
Monroe County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.8%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (72.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 71.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.6% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.0% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,789 · 202478th percentile
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- 44.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.7 · 202520th percentile
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- 23.9 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 rent6.8% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 36.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (7.8% in 2009) to 12.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Monroe County, West Virginia.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population had its largest rise, from 11,506 in 1974 to 12,575 in 1979.
Monroe County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 14,366 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County rose 7% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,024 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.9% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,156 | 2024 $56,789 |
The table uses 4.9% 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 Monroe County's history
1799
Created January 14, 1799 from Greenbrier County. Wikipedia
1973
Greenville Saltpeter Cave designated national natural landmark. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 14,583. The 2020 Census counted 12,376, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Monroe County, in West Virginia and Virginia, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Monroe County ranks 3rd of the five; Summers County is highest, at 45.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summers County, WV | 94 | 24.2% | 45.2% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 65 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Monroe County, WV | 59 | 13.9% | 36.0% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 51 | 11.5% | — |
| Giles County, VA | 44 | 11.5% | 30.7% |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
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 Monroe County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 47th 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, Monroe County ranks 33rd of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.