About one in four people in Wayne County, West Virginia, has a disability
In Wayne County, 22.8% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 81.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 9.2%, August 2025, higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 80.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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.
Wayne County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit 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 behind9.2% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 80.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.6% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.4 · 202550th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,452 · 202466th percentile
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- 39.2 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 rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 15.3% in 2012 to 17.7% in 2013; 20.7% in 2023 to 18.3% in 2024.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 18.3%
Low on the chart: 15.3% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wayne County, West Virginia.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest rise, from 40,307 in 1974 to 45,281 in 1979.
Wayne County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 45,281 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County rose most sharply from its first year (7,429 in 1990) to 8,864 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 9,465 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.8% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,092 | 2024 $61,452 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Wayne County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 46,021. The 2020 Census counted 38,982, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $1.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in April 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Wayne County, in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wayne County ranks 7th of the eight; Martin County is highest, at 60.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo County, WV | 96 | 25.7% | 46.1% |
| Martin County, KY | 95 | 33.8% | 60.9% |
| Lawrence County, KY | 93 | 23.4% | 47.0% |
| Lincoln County, WV | 89 | 21.4% | 36.9% |
| Boyd County, KY | 88 | 18.0% | 35.7% |
| Cabell County, WV | 81 | 17.2% | 29.0% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
| Wayne County, WV | 75 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 39th 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, Wayne County ranks 17th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.