Benefit checks make up 37 cents of every dollar of income in Randolph County, West Virginia
In Randolph County, 36.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.8. People with a credit card behind: 8.6%, August 2025, higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 81.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Randolph 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.
Randolph County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (69.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.7% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 81.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,338 · 202489th percentile
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- 53.2 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 rent15.9% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.2% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.5 · 202519th 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Randolph County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Randolph County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 28% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Randolph County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 15.1% in 2023 to 16.6% in 2024.
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.6%
High on the chart: 17.0% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Randolph County, West Virginia.
How Randolph County has changed
Randolph County's population rose most sharply from its first year (24,374 in 1969) to 26,732 in 1974.
Randolph County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 29,469 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Randolph County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County rose most sharply from its first year (8,899 in 1990) to 10,523 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 12,208 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Randolph County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.7% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.5% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,325 | 2024 $51,338 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Randolph County's history
1787
Created October 16, 1787 from Harrison County. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 30,558. The 2020 Census counted 27,932, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in June 2019 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Randolph County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Randolph County ranks 4th of the eight; 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% |
| Barbour County, WV | 70 | 19.3% | 35.2% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 67 | 17.4% | 43.6% |
| Upshur County, WV | 67 | 18.5% | 32.2% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Tucker County, WV | 37 | 14.7% | 32.8% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 25 | 12.2% | 39.1% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 25th 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, Randolph County ranks 14th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Randolph 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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Homeownership Center, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.