#1,053 Virginia · 2026

Accomack County, Virginia

60.0 · moderate-high county distress 1,053rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 33,239 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
7% Accomack residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for auto loan delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 40 words · paste-ready

Accomack County, Virginia ranks 1,053rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 1,053rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 60.0 · moderate-high county distress, 50th in Virginia.
  • 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 72nd percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Child poverty rate at 24% — national median 18%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 63rd percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 34-point drop to Worcester County, MD marks a cross-border distress gradient.

County Distress Index cluster map. Accomack County, Virginia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Accomack and its 3 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Accomack County ranks 1,053rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Accomack County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.3% -1.2 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

13.1% -10.3 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

31.8% +20.2 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

28.1% -4.9 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Accomack County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Accomack County's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Accomack County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Accomack VA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 69 · Rank 897 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 6% 5% 72nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 6% 5% 67th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 28% 25% 23% 68th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 45 · Rank 1,766 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 24% 22% 23% 53rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 102 177 126 37th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 51 · Rank 1,483 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 22% 21% 63rd HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 16% 19% 18% 39th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 67 · Rank 990 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 67th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 67 · Rank 891 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 24% 18% 18% 77th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 16% 15% 16% 54th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 13% 14% 75th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 9% 7% 8% 60th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 69
Weight 20% · Rank 897 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 67
Weight 20% · Rank 891 of 3,144
Labor 67
Weight 20% · Rank 990 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 51
Weight 20% · Rank 1,483 of 3,144
Default & Legal 45
Weight 20% · Rank 1,766 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Accomack County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
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ACCOMAC, Va. — Accomack County ranks 1,053rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 60.0 out of 100 gives Accomack a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,052 counties rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Accomack ranks 50th of 133 counties and independent cities.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Accomack. 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Accomack County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Accomack County scores 60.0 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 1,053rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 50th of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Accomack County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 69. Auto loan delinquency ranks at the 72nd percentile nationally.

How does Accomack County compare to its neighbors?

Accomack County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Somerset County, MD (76.68, high county distress). Lowest: Worcester County, MD (42.60, moderate-low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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