About one in 10 people in Albemarle County, Virginia, has a disability
In Albemarle County, 10.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Albemarle County's score
In Albemarle County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.7. About one in 14 children (7.1%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Albemarle County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Albemarle County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 18.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.9% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people87.3 · 202529th percentile
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- 15.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.8% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 10.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.1% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability10.2% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,657 · 20244th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
How Albemarle County has changed
The number of jobs located in Albemarle County had its largest rise in the last span, from 55,139 in 2020 to 65,494 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Albemarle County doubled to 65,494, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 65,494 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Albemarle County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.3% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $41,542 | 2024 $103,657 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Albemarle County's history
1744
1744, created from western portion of Goochland County. Wikipedia
1959
A tornado in September 1959 killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in May 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 112,395, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Albemarle County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Albemarle County beside its neighbors
All nine counties that border Albemarle County score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham County, VA | 87 | 18.4% | 34.4% |
| Louisa County, VA | 42 | 8.3% | 25.0% |
| Nelson County, VA | 35 | 11.5% | 28.0% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 33 | 16.5% | — |
| Orange County, VA | 26 | 8.5% | 23.9% |
| Greene County, VA | 24 | 8.4% | 21.4% |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 24 | 7.1% | 21.5% |
| Augusta County, VA | 16 | 7.3% | — |
| Rockingham County, VA | 13 | 8.2% | — |
| Albemarle County, VA | 10 | 8.3% | — |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Albemarle County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Albemarle County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 100th highest of 133 in Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Radford city, at 27.2%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Albemarle County ranks 123rd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Albemarle County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Piedmont Housing Alliance
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Central Virginia Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Albemarle County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.