About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Preston County, West Virginia, is not working
In Preston County, 24.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Preston County's score
In Preston County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 63.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 61.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Preston 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.
Preston County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (85, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
-
- 61.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.0% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,370 · 202460th percentile
-
- 52.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.5% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
-
- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85 · 202528th percentile
-
- 40.4 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th percentile
-
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 Preston 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 Preston County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Preston County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Preston County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Preston County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Preston County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 2013 to 15.2% in 2014.
The share of households in Preston County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2023, reaching 18.0%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 18.0% 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, Preston County, West Virginia.
How Preston County has changed
Preston County's population had its largest rise, from 26,919 in 1974 to 29,916 in 1979.
Preston County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,055
High on the chart: 34,264 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Preston County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Preston County had its largest rise, from 6,772 in 2010 to 7,294 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Preston County rose 17% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 7,365 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Preston County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.3% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.0% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,268 | 2024 $63,370 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Preston County's history
1818
Formed January 19, 1818 from Monongalia County. Wikipedia
1851
Railroad construction 1851. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in June 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in May 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Preston County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Preston County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Preston County, in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Preston County ranks 5th of the eight; Grant County is highest, at 36.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 86 | 14.7% | 33.7% |
| Barbour County, WV | 70 | 19.3% | 35.2% |
| Preston County, WV | 54 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| Taylor County, WV | 52 | 16.8% | 26.5% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Monongalia County, WV | 37 | 18.1% | 18.2% |
| Tucker County, WV | 37 | 14.7% | 32.8% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
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 Preston County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Preston County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 37th 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, Preston County ranks 41st of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Preston 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.
-
Legal Aid of West Virginia
Legal aid
-
Mountain State Justice, Inc.
Legal aid
-
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 Preston 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 Preston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.