About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Nicholas County, West Virginia, is not working
In Nicholas County, 35.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nicholas County's score
In Nicholas County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Nicholas 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.
Nicholas County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (45.5, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.6% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
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- 76.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.0% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.0% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,678 · 202485th percentile
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- 46.5 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 rent16.2% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.8% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45.5 · 20257th 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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nicholas County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Nicholas County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 15% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Nicholas County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Nicholas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.4% in 2010 to 18.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Nicholas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 19.3%
Low on the chart: 15.2% 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, Nicholas County, West Virginia.
How Nicholas County has changed
Nicholas County's population had its largest rise, from 24,075 in 1974 to 28,035 in 1979.
Nicholas County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 28,240 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nicholas County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Nicholas County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 7,785 in 2015 to 6,631 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Nicholas County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 8,619 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nicholas County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.3% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,514 | 2024 $53,678 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Nicholas County's history
1818
Created January 30, 1818. Wikipedia
1966
Summersville Dam construction and completion. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 28,126. The 2020 Census counted 24,604, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in June 2016 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in June 2016 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nicholas County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nicholas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Nicholas County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nicholas County ranks 4th of the seven; Webster County is highest, at 50.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, WV | 97 | 24.4% | 50.0% |
| Clay County, WV | 92 | 20.1% | 40.7% |
| Fayette County, WV | 87 | 20.8% | 38.3% |
| Nicholas County, WV | 75 | 16.4% | 40.3% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 65 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Braxton County, WV | 64 | 19.9% | 40.5% |
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 Nicholas County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Nicholas County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 31st 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, Nicholas County ranks 18th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.