About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Raleigh County, West Virginia, is not working
In Raleigh County, 32.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Raleigh County's score
In Raleigh County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Raleigh 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.
Raleigh County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (88.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 79.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.4% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 74.2 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 rent29.1% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance4.2% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,834 · 202480th percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.3% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.5 · 202530th 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Raleigh County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Raleigh County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Raleigh County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Raleigh County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.4% in 2012 to 16.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Raleigh County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 19.3%
Low on the chart: 11.3% 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, Raleigh County, West Virginia.
How Raleigh County has changed
Raleigh County's population had its largest rise, from 76,706 in 1974 to 86,792 in 1979.
Raleigh County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 86,792 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Raleigh County, West Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Raleigh County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 32,291 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Raleigh County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.9% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,404 | 2024 $55,834 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Raleigh County's history
1850
Formed January 23, 1850 from Fayette County. Wikipedia
1902
Battle of Stanaford, 1902-1903 New River coal strike. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 96,273. The 2020 Census counted 74,591, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A flash flood in June 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in July 2001 did $40 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $4 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Raleigh County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Raleigh County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Raleigh County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Raleigh County ranks 6th of the seven; Summers County is highest, at 45.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summers County, WV | 94 | 24.2% | 45.2% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 93 | 24.8% | 42.0% |
| Boone County, WV | 93 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Fayette County, WV | 87 | 20.8% | 38.3% |
| Raleigh County, WV | 85 | 18.7% | 33.7% |
| Mercer County, WV | 76 | 17.9% | 40.1% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
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 Raleigh County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Raleigh County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Raleigh County ranks 12th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.