About one in five people in Ohio County, West Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Ohio County, 19.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ohio County's score
In Ohio County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 73.8. About one in four renters (26.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ohio 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.
Ohio County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (109.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.5% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 61.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.0% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,892 · 202478th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.3% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.2 · 202540th 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 Ohio 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 Ohio County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ohio County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ohio County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Ohio County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Ohio County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 18.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2020, reaching 15.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ohio County, West Virginia.
How Ohio County has changed
Ohio County's population had its largest drop, from 57,430 in 1984 to 51,732 in 1989.
Ohio County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41,090, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 62,858. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ohio County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County had its largest drop, from 29,100 in 2015 to 25,679 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Ohio County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 29,633 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ohio County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,762 | 2024 $56,892 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Ohio County's history
1776
Founded October 7, 1776. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 73,115. The 2020 Census counted 42,425, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in June 2025 did $2 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ohio County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ohio County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Ohio County, in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ohio County ranks 5th of the six; Jefferson County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, OH | 72 | 17.7% | 33.9% |
| Marshall County, WV | 72 | 17.6% | 27.8% |
| Ohio County, WV | 71 | 19.2% | 25.6% |
| Belmont County, OH | 69 | 15.1% | 28.8% |
| Brooke County, WV | 62 | 13.6% | 29.0% |
| Washington County, PA | 31 | 10.3% | 19.7% |
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 Ohio County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Ohio County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 14th 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, Ohio County ranks 20th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ohio 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.
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 Ohio County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.