About one in four people in Ritchie County, West Virginia, has a disability
In Ritchie County, 25.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ritchie County's score
In Ritchie County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.2. Unemployment averaged 5.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 69.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ritchie 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.
Ritchie County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (49, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working26.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 69.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.9% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability25.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,610 · 202474th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.9% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 27.1 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people49 · 20259th 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 Ritchie 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 Ritchie County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ritchie County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Ritchie County had its largest rise, from 27.8% in 2004 to 36.9% in 2009.
In Ritchie County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Ritchie County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ritchie County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2021 low, from 13.1% in 2021 to 16.5% in 2022.
The share of households in Ritchie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 15.9%
Low on the chart: 13.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ritchie County, West Virginia.
How Ritchie County has changed
Ritchie County's population had its largest drop, from 9,619 in 2014 to 8,607 in 2019.
Ritchie County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 11,486 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ritchie County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Ritchie County had its largest drop, from 3,309 in 2015 to 3,014 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Ritchie County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 3,309 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ritchie County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.4% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,086 | 2024 $58,610 |
The table uses 5.4% 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 Ritchie County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,901. The 2020 Census counted 8,444, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
Heavy rain in February 1996 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flood in February 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ritchie County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ritchie County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Ritchie County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ritchie County ranks 5th of the eight; Calhoun County is highest, at 45.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, WV | 88 | 22.9% | 45.1% |
| Gilmer County, WV | 64 | 26.8% | 35.2% |
| Wirt County, WV | 59 | 16.6% | 37.2% |
| Wood County, WV | 58 | 15.5% | 27.8% |
| Ritchie County, WV | 56 | 14.8% | 33.4% |
| Tyler County, WV | 56 | 16.6% | 26.7% |
| Doddridge County, WV | 52 | 19.2% | 23.8% |
| Pleasants County, WV | 47 | 15.9% | 33.7% |
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 Ritchie County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Ritchie County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 40th 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, Ritchie County ranks 36th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ritchie 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 Ritchie 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 Ritchie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.