About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Upshur County, West Virginia, are not working
In Upshur County, 28.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Upshur County's score
In Upshur County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.2. Housing costs come next, at 66.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Upshur 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.
Upshur County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (63.8, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (4.4%, August 2025).
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 year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 66.0 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 rent23.3% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.5% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,994 · 202478th percentile
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- 47.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.1% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.2% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.8 · 202516th 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 Upshur 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 Upshur County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Upshur County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Upshur County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 32.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Upshur County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Upshur County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2016 low, from 12.6% in 2016 to 14.6% in 2017.
The share of households in Upshur County getting SNAP food aid rose to 19.0%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 12.6% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Upshur County, West Virginia.
How Upshur County has changed
Upshur County's population had its largest rise, from 20,831 in 1974 to 23,059 in 1979.
Upshur County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,650
High on the chart: 24,511 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Upshur County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Upshur County had its largest rise, from 6,767 in 1995 to 7,651 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Upshur County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 8,253 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Upshur County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.0% | 2024 18.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,186 | 2024 $56,994 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Upshur County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,254. The 2020 Census counted 23,816, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Upshur County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Upshur County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Upshur County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Upshur County ranks 5th of the six; 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% |
| Lewis County, WV | 70 | 16.2% | 32.6% |
| Barbour County, WV | 70 | 19.3% | 35.2% |
| Upshur County, WV | 67 | 18.5% | 32.2% |
| Harrison County, WV | 54 | 14.2% | 24.9% |
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 Upshur County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Upshur County's poverty rate was 18.5% in 2024, 19th 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, Upshur County ranks 27th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Upshur 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 Upshur 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 Upshur County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.