Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

McDowell County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 55 counties in 2016, at 44.1%. Jefferson County had the lowest, at 12.2%. The median was 25.3% and the figure for West Virginia was 23.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest44.1McDowell County

Lowest12.2Jefferson County

Median25.355 counties

West Virginia23.9History

Map of counties, 2016

Under 21
21 to 23
23 to 25
25 to 28
28 to 31
31 and over

%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2016 (%)	Change on 2015
1	McDowell County	44.1	-2.7 pts
2	Webster County	43.1	+2.1 pts
3	Mingo County	36.8	-1.9 pts
4	Clay County	36.5	-0.9 pts
5	Summers County	33	-2.9 pts
6	Logan County	32.2	+2.3 pts
7	Lincoln County	32	-4.6 pts
8	Roane County	31.2	+1.1 pts
9	Braxton County	31.1	-2.2 pts
9	Wyoming County	31.1	-0.5 pts
11	Barbour County	30.5	+2.3 pts
12	Fayette County	30.3	+1.4 pts
13	Boone County	30.2	-0.4 pts
14	Calhoun County	30	0 pts
15	Mercer County	29.9	0 pts
16	Wayne County	28.8	-2.3 pts
17	Wood County	28	+2.7 pts
18	Upshur County	27.9	+1.8 pts
18	Wetzel County	27.9	-1.2 pts
20	Wirt County	27.1	+0.1 pts
21	Pocahontas County	27	-3.1 pts
22	Nicholas County	26.9	-0.1 pts
23	Doddridge County	26.4	+0.6 pts
24	Gilmer County	25.6	-0.7 pts
24	Marshall County	25.6	+5 pts
26	Cabell County	25.3	-1.2 pts
26	Monroe County	25.3	+0.6 pts
26	Randolph County	25.3	-3.1 pts
29	Pendleton County	25.2	-0.5 pts
30	Lewis County	24.8	-2.7 pts
31	Hampshire County	24.5	-3.4 pts
32	Ritchie County	24.3	-1.3 pts
33	Mason County	24.2	-6 pts
33	Raleigh County	24.2	-3.7 pts
35	Tyler County	23.6	+0.3 pts
36	Greenbrier County	23.4	-3.7 pts
36	Hardy County	23.4	-0.5 pts
38	Tucker County	23.3	-0.8 pts
39	Grant County	23.2	-1.2 pts
40	Kanawha County	23	-1.8 pts
40	Mineral County	23	+1.5 pts
42	Jackson County	22.9	+0.1 pts
42	Taylor County	22.9	+0.1 pts
44	Preston County	22.8	-0.4 pts
45	Marion County	22.5	+0.4 pts
46	Hancock County	21	-0.5 pts
46	Morgan County	21	-1 pts
48	Brooke County	20.7	+0.4 pts
48	Ohio County	20.7	+1.2 pts
50	Harrison County	20.2	-1.7 pts
51	Pleasants County	18.3	-1.5 pts
52	Berkeley County	17.8	-0.7 pts
53	Monongalia County	14.7	-0.8 pts
54	Putnam County	12.7	-0.3 pts
55	Jefferson County	12.2	-1.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in West Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

McDowell County, with 44.1% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Jefferson County, with 12.2% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.