In Pocahontas County, West Virginia, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pocahontas County's score
In Pocahontas County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 89.2. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (44.2%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 73.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pocahontas 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.
Pocahontas County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.3%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (6.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working44.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 73.6 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 rent25.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 73.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.7% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,248 · 202488th percentile
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- 33.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202518th 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 Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County, 27.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pocahontas County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pocahontas County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across West Virginia
In Pocahontas County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pocahontas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 2019 to 19.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Pocahontas County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21.7%
High on the chart: 21.8% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
How Pocahontas County has changed
Pocahontas County's population had its largest rise, from 8,601 in 1974 to 9,881 in 1979.
Pocahontas County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 9,906 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Pocahontas County had its largest drop, from 3,543 in 2005 to 3,149 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Pocahontas County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 3,636 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.6% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.2% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,670 | 2024 $52,248 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Pocahontas County's history
1821
Established December 21, 1821. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 15,002. The 2020 Census counted 7,869, 52% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pocahontas County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pocahontas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pocahontas County, in West Virginia and Virginia, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pocahontas County ranks 2nd of the seven; Webster County is highest, at 50.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, WV | 97 | 24.4% | 50.0% |
| Randolph County, WV | 77 | 17.3% | 36.8% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 67 | 17.4% | 43.6% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 65 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Highland County, VA | 38 | 12.6% | 32.0% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 25 | 12.2% | 39.1% |
| Bath County, VA | 17 | 11.3% | 22.5% |
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 Pocahontas County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Pocahontas County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 24th 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, Pocahontas County ranks 26th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.