For families in McDowell County in West Virginia, one of the poorest corners of America, everyday survival has never been more uncertain. The residents are now forced to buy bottled water, something which they can barely afford, because the tap water can either be brown or black when it flows from the aging pipes, cbs news reported.
Citing a pastor, Brad Davis, who leads congregations at five United Methodist churches in the county, the report said that there are people in McDowell County who haven’t had a hot shower in six years. The pastor added that “this shouldn’t be the case, anywhere in the world, let alone in the wealthiest nation in the world”.
Many in the county are also forced to fill up their jugs of water from an old mine shaft on the mountainside, due to the limited resources of clean water.
How the local economy collapsed
The report suggests that decades ago, when coal boomed in the region, approximately 100,000 people resided and were earning some of the country’s highest hourly wages. However, as machines moved in, mining jobs declined, and the local economy witnessed a collapse. As of today, the county is home to only 17,000 people, with a median household income of about $30,000.
At least one in three households relies on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed their families, according to Census data. With steady jobs declining, poverty in the region inspired the launch of the modern food stamp program in 1966.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the first food stamp program was introduced in 1939. It allowed people receiving government relief to buy orange stamps, which were equal to their usual food spending.
The orange stamps were used to buy any type of food; however, the blue stamps could only be used to purchase surplus food items identified by the department. For every one dollar worth of orange stamps they bought, they received an additional 50 cents in blue stamps at no cost.
Many Americans lost SNAP benefits amid government shutdown
Linda McKinney, who runs America’s largest food bank, Five Loaves & Two Fishes, said that since the government shutdown of 2025, many Americans lost their SNAP benefits for weeks. In McDowell, she ensured that over 100 children received backpacks full of food, which they can consume over the weekend, when they are not in school.
Is McDowell a Trump county?
Many outsiders view McDowell County as solidly pro-Trump, but its political history is more complex. McDowell has supported former President Barack Obama in 2008 and backed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. While US President Donald Trump carried the county in the past three elections, it also recorded the lowest voter turnout in the state.
However, with little to no help from any party, the political climate in the county has shifted drastically. Several residents of the county believe that it doesn’t matter if it’s Democrats or Republicans running the country, since neither party cares about helping the county’s residents.
Residents rely more on each other than on politicians
The report added that recently, West Virginia’s governor set aside $8.3 million in federal funds to upgrade water and sewage lines in the county, which is only being considered as a drop in the bucket, compared to what state and county officials believe is needed.
However, many residents have now decided to step up. They carry heavy cases of water and go door to door delivering those to neighbors, with several claiming that if they do not help each other, no one will.
While many are still desperately hoping for a change, it is yet to be seen if there will be any improvement in America’s poorest county.
