West Virginia Pre-Foreclosure Crisis Deepens in 2025: A Hidden Housing Struggle

A Rising Tide of Pre-Foreclosures Creates a Resurgence of Stress for West Virginia Families

The grip of economic strain is tightening across the hills and hollers of West Virginia, where the American dream of homeownership is slipping quietly through the fingers of many. In May 2025, 53 families received notices of pre-foreclosure—an early legal sign that they may lose their homes. While that number represents a slight 5.36% decrease from April, it marks a staggering 103.85% increase compared to May of last year.

That data point isn’t just a statistic. It’s a crack in the foundation of a state already burdened with decades of economic turbulence and fragile labor markets. And it suggests that, once again, West Virginia is becoming a bellwether for how economic pressure—rising mortgage rates, stagnant wages, and job market volatility—can derail working-class stability.

Historic Pre-Foreclosure Trends Point to a Sobering Rebound

If there’s a blueprint for financial distress in housing, West Virginia has, indeed, lived through it before. Specifically, from 2006 to 2009, the state weathered a massive pre-foreclosure wave, which ultimately peaked in 2009 with 764 properties on the brink. What followed, however, was a lull that lasted for nearly a decade—so quiet, in fact, that from 2018 through 2022, there were virtually no pre-foreclosures at all.

But the quiet was deceptive.

In 2023, a resurgence began with 610 pre-foreclosure filings, and 2024 closed the year with 492. Now, only five months into 2025, the state has already recorded 261 properties entering pre-foreclosure—a pace that could eclipse last year’s total by late summer.

That kind of year-over-year acceleration points to deeper fissures in West Virginia’s housing economy. Although May’s slight monthly dip from April may seem encouraging at first glance, upon closer examination, a broader perspective, in fact, paints a dramatically different picture. Indeed, more than twice as many families are in trouble this May compared to the same time last year.

Behind the Numbers: Stories of Families on the Brink

In Fayette County, a former coal miner named Jerry, who asked that only his first name be used, sits on the front steps of a small, aging home he and his wife bought in 1998 for under $40,000. Last winter, after losing a part-time job due to declining health, Jerry fell behind on his mortgage payments. A warning notice arrived in early May.

“We never thought it’d come to this,” he said, holding back emotion. “This house is part of our family—it’s where we raised our kids. Now it feels like the bank is knocking louder every day.”

Jerry is not alone. The personal stories roll in from across the state—from young parents contending with student loan debt to retirees facing rising medical costs. A confluence of modern pressures stretches many thin: post-pandemic inflation, soaring housing costs driven by an affordability crisis, and an uneven labor market that forces many West Virginians into underemployment or multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

“Pre-foreclosure doesn’t happen all at once,” said a housing counselor in Morgantown, who asked not to be named due to client confidentiality. “It’s a cascade—one missed utility bill, a car repair, a sick child. Before long, homeowners are behind and no longer have a way to catch up.”

The Role of Broader Economic Trends: Inflation, Wages, and Home Prices

Rising residential costs have collided head-on with stubbornly low wages in West Virginia, where the median household income remains nearly $20,000 below the national average. Even for those with steady employment, inflation has dulled buying power and strained fixed incomes. The Federal Reserve’s continued efforts to tamp down inflation through interest rate hikes have increased mortgage rates, which compounds the strain for families holding adjustable-rate mortgages or seeking to refinance.

For homeowners who bought during the low-rate boom of 2020, the financial picture today looks radically different. Many now face property assessments that have outpaced their income growth and insurance premiums that, in mountainous, flood-prone regions, are steadily climbing.