In Putnam County, West Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Putnam County, 16.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 55.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.7. About one in nine children (10.6%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Putnam 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.
- 55.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
-
- 43.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.5 · 202518th percentile
-
- 38.4 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 rent21.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
-
- 35.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
-
- 20.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,834 · 202419th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Putnam County rose most in two steps: 10.5% in 1979 to 13.2% in 1984; 15.7% in 2004 to 18.4% in 2009.
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.3%; 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 Putnam County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 12.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 10.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Putnam County, West Virginia.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population had its largest rise, from 30,920 in 1974 to 36,511 in 1979.
Putnam County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 57,067
High on the chart: 57,431 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County doubled to 22,322, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 14,555. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,847 | 2024 $80,834 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Putnam County's history
1848
Formed March 11, 1848 from Cabell, Kanawha, and Mason counties. Wikipedia
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Heavy rain in July 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in May 2018 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 57,440, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
Lightning in July 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Putnam County score higher than it does. Of the group, Putnam County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Lincoln County gets the largest, at 36.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, WV | 89 | 21.4% | 36.9% |
| Cabell County, WV | 81 | 17.2% | 29.0% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
| Jackson County, WV | 69 | 17.5% | 31.1% |
| Mason County, WV | 61 | 16.3% | 36.4% |
| Putnam County, WV | 30 | 9.6% | 22.3% |
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 Putnam County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 54th 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, Putnam County ranks 52nd of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.