About three in ten people in Wyoming County, West Virginia, have a disability
In Wyoming County, 30.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wyoming County's score
In Wyoming County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 96.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 86.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wyoming 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.
Wyoming County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (103.6, 2025) and people without health insurance (7.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working43.5% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
-
- 86.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.9% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
-
- 83.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.8% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.9% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability30.4% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,086 · 202494th percentile
-
- 64.2 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 rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
-
- 61.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.2% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.6 · 202537th percentile
-
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming County, 23.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wyoming County
West Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wyoming County had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 1969 to 20.7% in 1974.
In Wyoming County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 42.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Wyoming County, West Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wyoming County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 25.8% in 2022 to 20.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Wyoming County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24.1%
High on the chart: 26.0% 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, Wyoming County, West Virginia.
How Wyoming County has changed
Wyoming County's population had its largest drop, from 34,164 in 1984 to 29,356 in 1989.
Wyoming County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 36,654 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wyoming County, West Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Wyoming County had its largest drop, from 4,735 in 2015 to 3,968 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Wyoming County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2020, reaching 3,968, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 5,576 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wyoming County, West Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.0% | 2024 24.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,003 | 2024 $48,086 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Wyoming County's history
1850
Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 37,540. The 2020 Census counted 21,382, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in July 2001 did $60 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in May 2009 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wyoming County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wyoming County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wyoming County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wyoming County ranks 4th of the seven; McDowell County is highest, at 52.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingo County, WV | 96 | 25.7% | 46.1% |
| McDowell County, WV | 95 | 38.4% | 52.2% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 93 | 24.8% | 42.0% |
| Boone County, WV | 93 | 18.8% | 39.1% |
| Logan County, WV | 91 | 21.1% | 42.4% |
| Raleigh County, WV | 85 | 18.7% | 33.7% |
| Mercer County, WV | 76 | 17.9% | 40.1% |
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 Wyoming County the poorest county in West Virginia?
No, Wyoming County's poverty rate was 24.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Wyoming County ranks 5th of 55 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wyoming 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.
-
Legal Aid of West Virginia
Legal aid
-
Mountain State Justice, Inc.
Legal aid
-
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.