About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Alleghany County, Virginia, is not working
In Alleghany County, 24.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 69% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Alleghany County's score
In Alleghany County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 64.5. About half of people (48.1%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 75% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 63.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Alleghany 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.
Alleghany County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.1% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 51.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,593 · 202474th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.6 · 202540th percentile
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- 32.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.8% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th 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 Alleghany County has changed
The number of jobs located in Alleghany County had its largest rise, from 3,932 in 2000 to 4,634 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Alleghany County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 4,634 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Alleghany County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $30,879 | 2024 $58,593 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Alleghany County's history
1822
Established January 5, 1822, from Bath County, Botetourt County, and Monroe County. Wikipedia
1899
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (later Westvaco and WestRock) located in Covington 1899. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 23,139. The 2020 Census counted 15,223, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lear Corporation closing in December 2005. Wikipedia
2006
A flood in June 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
AET (Applied Extrusion Technologies) closing in March 2008. Wikipedia
2016
A flash flood in June 2016 did $6.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Alleghany County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Alleghany County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Alleghany County, in Virginia and West Virginia, three score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington city, VA | 85 | 14.8% | — |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 65 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Monroe County, WV | 59 | 13.9% | 36.0% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 51 | 11.5% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
| Bath County, VA | 17 | 11.3% | 22.5% |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 12 | 9.9% | — |
| Botetourt County, VA | 5 | 5.2% | 21.9% |
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 Alleghany County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Alleghany County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 71st 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, Alleghany County ranks 68th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Alleghany 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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Blue Ridge Legal Services
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 Alleghany 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.