John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $142.47 million, equating to $5,855 per capita and making up 35% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across West Virginia amounted to $2.81 billion, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $1,581 per capita, or 10.9% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $25.65 billion, accounting for 28.9% of residents’ total income, with an average of $14,450 per resident.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Nicholas County in 2022, accounting for $95.12 million, averaging $3,909 per capita, representing 23.4% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $74.78 million, averaging $3,073 per capita and comprising 18.4% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 23.9% of the population aged 65 and older, Nicholas County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Nicholas County, excluding government transfers was $23,860, which is far below the county's total income of $40,599, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Nicholas County saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.3%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Nicholas County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 13.4% (or $2,324 per capita) in 1970 to 41.2% (or $16,739 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha County | 1 | 28.9% | 22.1% | 9.4% | 6.5% | 7.8% | 2.8% | $16,509 |
| Cabell County | 2 | 28.6% | 19.8% | 8.4% | 6.3% | 7.1% | 3.4% | $14,625 |
| Wood County | 3 | 25.5% | 21.5% | 8.7% | 6.7% | 4.8% | 2.9% | $14,891 |
| Raleigh County | 4 | 35.1% | 22% | 11.4% | 8% | 7.7% | 3.5% | $16,937 |
| Berkeley County | 5 | 18% | 15.2% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 1.2% | 2.4% | $9,422 |
| Mercer County | 6 | 40.6% | 22.8% | 11.4% | 8.2% | 10.9% | 4.8% | $18,194 |
| Monongalia County | 7 | 17.3% | 13.6% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 5% | 1.4% | $9,567 |
| Harrison County | 8 | 24% | 20.5% | 8% | 5.7% | 4.9% | 2.5% | $14,167 |
| Marion County | 9 | 28.7% | 20.2% | 10% | 7.8% | 4.3% | 2.8% | $14,041 |
| Fayette County | 10 | 39% | 23.1% | 11.9% | 8% | 9.8% | 4.5% | $17,468 |
| Ohio County | 11 | 23.8% | 22.8% | 8% | 5.5% | 6.4% | 2.1% | $15,888 |
| Jefferson County | 12 | 17.3% | 17.6% | 6.3% | 4.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% | $10,972 |
| Putnam County | 13 | 20.2% | 19.8% | 8.7% | 5.2% | 2% | 1.8% | $11,247 |
| Logan County | 14 | 46.8% | 22.4% | 13.9% | 10.1% | 12.9% | 5.3% | $19,796 |
| Greenbrier County | 15 | 37% | 24.8% | 11.9% | 8.7% | 8.5% | 3.3% | $17,504 |
| Wayne County | 16 | 30.8% | 22.6% | 11.4% | 9.4% | 0.9% | 4.6% | $12,895 |
| Randolph County | 17 | 36% | 22.5% | 10.4% | 7.7% | 10.9% | 3.5% | $16,435 |
| Hancock County | 18 | 30.6% | 24.4% | 11.6% | 9.2% | 4.7% | 2.8% | $15,528 |
| Mingo County | 19 | 50.9% | 21.4% | 16% | 11.8% | 9.9% | 7.7% | $18,656 |
| Preston County | 20 | 29% | 20.5% | 10.5% | 7.7% | 4.2% | 2.9% | $12,288 |
| Marshall County | 21 | 28.2% | 24% | 10% | 7% | 5.7% | 3% | $13,753 |
| Nicholas County | 22 | 41.2% | 23.9% | 14.4% | 9.6% | 7.6% | 4.5% | $16,739 |
| Mineral County | 23 | 30.4% | 22.7% | 9.9% | 8.7% | 4.9% | 2.8% | $14,820 |
| Mason County | 24 | 37.3% | 22.7% | 12.6% | 9.2% | 7.7% | 4.4% | $15,717 |
| Jackson County | 25 | 30.8% | 21.4% | 11.5% | 7.8% | 4.9% | 3.6% | $13,990 |
| Boone County | 26 | 41.5% | 22.4% | 14.4% | 10.7% | 6.7% | 5% | $17,114 |
| McDowell County | 27 | 54.1% | 22.6% | 16.3% | 12.9% | 10.3% | 9.7% | $18,542 |
| Wyoming County | 28 | 44.3% | 23.4% | 16.6% | 10.8% | 5.2% | 6.1% | $15,579 |
| Upshur County | 29 | 32.2% | 21.8% | 11.5% | 8.2% | 4.7% | 3.8% | $13,263 |
| Brooke County | 30 | 27.5% | 25.2% | 11.2% | 7% | 4.5% | 2.4% | $13,835 |
| Hampshire County | 31 | 27.2% | 24.2% | 10.6% | 7.7% | 2.5% | 3.3% | $12,570 |
| Lincoln County | 32 | 36.8% | 21.2% | 13.2% | 10.3% | 2.3% | 6.4% | $13,518 |
| Wetzel County | 33 | 39.3% | 22.9% | 12.1% | 10% | 9.7% | 4.1% | $17,800 |
| Morgan County | 34 | 31.4% | 25.1% | 11.9% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 3% | $14,178 |
| Lewis County | 35 | 31.4% | 21% | 11% | 8.5% | 4.7% | 4% | $13,693 |
| Summers County | 36 | 44.1% | 27.6% | 11.6% | 8.3% | 13.9% | 4.4% | $18,968 |
| Barbour County | 37 | 35.1% | 21% | 11.3% | 8.8% | 6.7% | 4.3% | $14,169 |
| Taylor County | 38 | 26.1% | 21.4% | 8.8% | 6.1% | 4.7% | 2.9% | $12,820 |
| Roane County | 39 | 38.7% | 23.6% | 13.6% | 8.8% | 7.5% | 5.1% | $15,122 |
| Braxton County | 40 | 40.2% | 24.7% | 13.5% | 9.1% | 7.8% | 5% | $16,125 |
| Grant County | 41 | 36.8% | 25.2% | 12.1% | 10.4% | 8.3% | 3.2% | $17,048 |
| Monroe County | 42 | 34.6% | 25.9% | 14.1% | 8.6% | 1.9% | 3.5% | $13,984 |
| Pocahontas County | 43 | 42.4% | 27.9% | 11.6% | 9.3% | 14.9% | 3% | $21,511 |
| Hardy County | 44 | 25.7% | 23.4% | 10.8% | 7.2% | 1.3% | 3.5% | $11,236 |
| Ritchie County | 45 | 29.9% | 23.4% | 11.1% | 7.1% | 5.3% | 3.3% | $16,384 |
| Webster County | 46 | 50.3% | 25.5% | 16.6% | 13.5% | 7.1% | 7.7% | $16,400 |
| Pleasants County | 47 | 34.7% | 18.9% | 9.9% | 6.9% | 13.4% | 2.4% | $17,078 |
| Clay County | 48 | 40.6% | 22.6% | 15% | 11.3% | 3.3% | 6.8% | $15,607 |
| Tyler County | 49 | 25.7% | 24.4% | 10.3% | 7.2% | 3.3% | 2.7% | $14,494 |
| Pendleton County | 50 | 35.1% | 29.2% | 12.4% | 9.5% | 7% | 2.7% | $19,061 |
| Tucker County | 51 | 31.4% | 28.1% | 10.3% | 7% | 8.9% | 2.3% | $17,320 |
| Calhoun County | 52 | 43.8% | 26.6% | 14.6% | 11% | 8.6% | 5.4% | $17,834 |
| Gilmer County | 53 | 35.9% | 18.5% | 9.9% | 7.8% | 9.9% | 3.7% | $12,721 |
| Wirt County | 54 | 36% | 23.1% | 14.8% | 10.7% | 1.3% | 5.3% | $14,278 |
| Doddridge County | 55 | 21.9% | 22% | 10.5% | 4.4% | 0.5% | 3.4% | $8,577 |
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