In Arlington County, Virginia, benefit checks make up only 6 cents of every dollar of income
In Arlington County, 5.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Arlington County's score
In Arlington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 58.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 7.5. About one in 11 people with a credit file (9.5%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Arlington 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.
Arlington County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.8 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.5% · second quarter of 20261st percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.7% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
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- 7.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.9% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability6.7% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$133,394 · 20240th percentile
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- 7.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.5% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people55.9 · 202512th 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.
Where the money in Arlington County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Arlington County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Arlington County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Arlington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 5.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than ten times as much as benefit checks
In Arlington County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Arlington County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 2.7% in 2012 to 3.3% in 2013; 2.4% in 2021 to 3.0% in 2022; 3.4% in 2023 to 4.0% in 2024.
The share of households in Arlington County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 4.0%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 2.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Arlington County, Virginia.
How Arlington County has changed
Arlington County's population had its largest rise, from 202,637 in 2009 to 225,762 in 2014.
Arlington County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1979, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 154,108 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Arlington County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Arlington County rose by about a fifth to 180,735, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 162,679. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Arlington County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.6% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $42,022 | 2024 $133,394 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Arlington County's history
1801
Established February 27, 1801. Wikipedia
1863
Freedman's Village established for emancipated enslaved people December 4, 1863. Wikipedia
2001
A tornado in September 2001 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 238,643, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Arlington County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Arlington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Arlington County, in Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland, four score higher. Of the group, Arlington County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; District of Columbia gets the largest, at 12.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia, DC | 56 | 16.4% | 12.6% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 7.6% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 18 | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
| Falls Church city, VA | 4 | 4.6% | — |
| Arlington County, VA | 4 | 8.0% | 5.5% |
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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Arlington County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Arlington County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 105th 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, Arlington County ranks 130th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Arlington 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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Latino Economic Development Corporation - Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Northern Virginia
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 Arlington 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.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Arlington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.