In 2022, Social Security transfers in Berkeley County totaled $466.22 million, amounting to $3,600 per capita, or 38.2% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicare was the second largest contributor, totaling $294.17 million, equating to $2,272 per capita and making up 24.1% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across West Virginia amounted to $8.63 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $4,864 per capita, or 33.7% 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.
Income Maintenance was the third largest contributor in Berkeley County in 2022, accounting for $161.86 million, averaging $1,250 per capita, representing 13.3% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $84.14 million, averaging $650 per capita and comprising 6.9% of government support, making them the smallest 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 15.2% of the population aged 65 and older, Berkeley County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Berkeley County, excluding government transfers was $42,843, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $52,264, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Berkeley County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.2%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
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 Berkeley County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.2% (or $2,006 per capita) in 1970 to 18% (or $9,422 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
