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 2019, at 44.2%. Putnam County had the lowest, at 11.4%. The median was 22.9% and the figure for West Virginia was 20.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest44.2McDowell County

Lowest11.4Putnam County

Median22.955 counties

West Virginia20.8History

Map of counties, 2019

Under 18
18 to 21
21 to 23
23 to 25
25 to 27
27 and over

%, 2019. 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, 2019

%. 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	2019 (%)	Change on 2018
1	McDowell County	44.2	+1.7 pts
2	Webster County	34.1	-2.7 pts
3	Mingo County	33.5	-3 pts
4	Summers County	31.9	-4.6 pts
5	Clay County	30.5	-2.2 pts
6	Wyoming County	30.4	+0.7 pts
7	Lewis County	28	+3 pts
8	Fayette County	26.8	-1.7 pts
9	Logan County	26.6	-4.6 pts
10	Roane County	26.5	-5.4 pts
11	Lincoln County	25.9	-3 pts
11	Ritchie County	25.9	-0.1 pts
13	Greenbrier County	25.6	+2.5 pts
13	Mercer County	25.6	-9.3 pts
15	Barbour County	25.1	-1.7 pts
15	Calhoun County	25.1	-3.7 pts
15	Nicholas County	25.1	-0.7 pts
18	Boone County	24.8	-2.8 pts
19	Braxton County	24.7	-5.1 pts
19	Wayne County	24.7	-0.6 pts
21	Wirt County	24.6	-3.6 pts
22	Pocahontas County	24.1	-1.5 pts
23	Jackson County	23	-0.3 pts
24	Hampshire County	22.9	-7.4 pts
24	Monroe County	22.9	+0.5 pts
24	Raleigh County	22.9	-1.8 pts
24	Upshur County	22.9	-4.6 pts
24	Wetzel County	22.9	-1.8 pts
29	Doddridge County	22.4	-2.8 pts
29	Randolph County	22.4	-3.5 pts
31	Cabell County	22.1	-1 pts
31	Mason County	22.1	-1.8 pts
31	Tucker County	22.1	+0.8 pts
34	Kanawha County	21.2	-4.8 pts
35	Gilmer County	20.8	-3.5 pts
35	Tyler County	20.8	-1.8 pts
37	Hardy County	20.6	+0.2 pts
38	Taylor County	20.3	-0.7 pts
39	Grant County	19.6	-1.5 pts
40	Marion County	19.4	-4.3 pts
41	Pendleton County	19.3	-2.4 pts
42	Marshall County	19.2	-0.1 pts
42	Wood County	19.2	-2.5 pts
44	Mineral County	19.1	-1.1 pts
45	Preston County	18.1	-5 pts
46	Ohio County	17.6	+0.1 pts
47	Hancock County	17.5	-2 pts
48	Harrison County	16.5	-5.4 pts
49	Morgan County	16.4	-2.2 pts
50	Brooke County	16.1	-3.4 pts
51	Pleasants County	15.2	-1.7 pts
52	Berkeley County	14.7	-1.3 pts
53	Monongalia County	14.2	+0.3 pts
54	Jefferson County	12.5	+1.3 pts
55	Putnam County	11.4	-1.5 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/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.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), 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.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 44.2% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Putnam County, with 11.4% in 2019.

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.