About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Roane County, West Virginia, are not working
In Roane County, 43.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roane County's score
In Roane County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 6.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 80.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Roane 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.
Roane County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (43.7, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working43.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 80.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.6% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability23.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,728 · 202491st percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.9% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 41.6 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 rent10.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 35.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.7 · 20257th 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 Roane 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 Roane County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Roane County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Roane County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 40.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Roane County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Roane County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 25.6% in 2016 to 22.6% in 2017.
The share of households in Roane County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 21.8%
Low on the chart: 20.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Roane County, West Virginia.
How Roane County has changed
Roane County's population had its largest rise, from 14,689 in 1974 to 15,947 in 1979.
Roane County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 16,072 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Roane County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Roane County had its largest drop, from 3,620 in 2000 to 3,166 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Roane County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 3,620 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Roane County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 15.7% | 2025 7.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.5% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,273 | 2024 $49,728 |
The table uses 7.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.3% 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 Roane County's history
1856
Created March 11, 1856 by Virginia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 21,543. The 2020 Census counted 14,028, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A flash flood in January 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in May 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in March 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in May 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Roane County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Roane County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Roane County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Roane County ranks 3rd of the six; Calhoun County is highest, at 45.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, WV | 92 | 20.1% | 40.7% |
| Calhoun County, WV | 88 | 22.9% | 45.1% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 70 | 15.3% | 29.3% |
| Jackson County, WV | 69 | 17.5% | 31.1% |
| Roane County, WV | 68 | 19.2% | 40.1% |
| Wirt County, WV | 59 | 16.6% | 37.2% |
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 Roane County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Roane County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 14th 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, Roane County ranks 25th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roane 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.
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 Roane County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.