Raleigh County, West Virginia
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Raleigh County, West Virginia ranks 846th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 846th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 63.5 · moderate-high county distress, 15th in West Virginia.
- 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 79th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 26% — national median 18%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Disability rate at 23% — national median 16%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 31% — national median 23%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 19-point drop to Kanawha County marks where the West Virginia distress corridor ends.
Raleigh County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Raleigh County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 13th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 65th percentile. The gap stands out against disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Beckley.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Raleigh County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Raleigh County's value shown alongside WV's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Raleigh | WV median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 77 · Rank 614 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 79th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 79th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 26% | 23% | 74th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 54 · Rank 1,358 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 28% | 23% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 88 | 69 | 126 | 30th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 71 · Rank 704 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 21% | 21% | 51st | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 26% | 16% | 18% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 49 · Rank 1,534 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 49th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 950 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 22% | 18% | 65th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 20% | 16% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 18% | 14% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 13th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Raleigh County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Raleigh County ranks 846th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 63.5 out of 100 gives Raleigh a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 845 counties rank more distressed. Within West Virginia, Raleigh ranks 15th of 55 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Raleigh. 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Raleigh County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Raleigh County's distress score?
How does Raleigh County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Raleigh County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →