McDowell County, West Virginia
More than double the national median for adults 25-54 not working — and 26.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Thomas County, NE — 2%).
Main Findings
McDowell County, West Virginia is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 54% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working — more than double the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Default & Legal.
- 3rd of 55 counties in West Virginia on the County Distress Index — 94 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
- 54% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working (U.S. median 21%). Adults 25-54 not working at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Child poverty rate at 42% — national median 17%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 32% — national median 21%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 21-point drop to Mercer County marks where the WV coalfields distress corridor ends.
McDowell County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 42% of children under 18 in McDowell County live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind McDowell County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. McDowell County's value shown alongside WV's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | McDowell | WV median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 77 · Rank 609 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 65th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 7% | 5% | 89th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 31% | 26% | 23% | 78th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 52 · Rank 1,442 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 40% | 28% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 52 | 69 | 126 | 10th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 86 · Rank 252 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 32% | 21% | 21% | 95th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 23% | 17% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 14 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 54% | 28% | 21% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 11% | 5% | 4% | 95th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 88 · Rank 111 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 42% | 21% | 17% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 30% | 19% | 16% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 38% | 17% | 13% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 6% | 8% | 58th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite McDowell County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WELCH, W.Va. — McDowell County is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
McDowell scores 94 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Within West Virginia, McDowell ranks third of 55 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in McDowell. 54% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working — more than double the national median of 21%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is McDowell County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives McDowell County's distress score?
How does McDowell County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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