Unemployment in Pendleton County, West Virginia, is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Pendleton County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pendleton County's score
In Pendleton County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 53.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.6. About one in 12 renters (8.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pendleton 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.
Pendleton County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,245 · 202460th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 23.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people33.2 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 14.6 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 rent8.2% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th 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 Pendleton 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 Pendleton County, 29.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pendleton County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pendleton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 39.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Pendleton County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pendleton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.4% in 2010 to 14.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Pendleton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.2% 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, Pendleton County, West Virginia.
How Pendleton County has changed
Pendleton County's population had its largest drop, from 7,701 in 2009 to 6,899 in 2014.
Pendleton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 8,242 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pendleton County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Pendleton County had its largest drop, from 2,138 in 1995 to 1,761 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Pendleton County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 30% since
High on the chart: 2,138 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pendleton County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,443 | 2024 $63,245 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pendleton County's history
1788
Created in 1788 from Augusta, Hardy, and Rockingham counties. Wikipedia
1924
Franklin fire destroyed business district and courthouse. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 10,884. The 2020 Census counted 6,143, 56% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pendleton County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pendleton County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pendleton County, in West Virginia and Virginia, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pendleton County ranks 2nd of the six; Pocahontas County is highest, at 43.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County, WV | 77 | 17.3% | 36.8% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 67 | 17.4% | 43.6% |
| Hardy County, WV | 49 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Highland County, VA | 38 | 12.6% | 32.0% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 25 | 12.2% | 39.1% |
| Augusta County, VA | 16 | 7.3% | — |
| Rockingham County, VA | 13 | 8.2% | — |
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 Pendleton County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Pendleton County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 51st 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, Pendleton County ranks 54th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pendleton 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 Pendleton 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 Pendleton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.