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 (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). 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 combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Arlington County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Arlington County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 58.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score12.0% · Q4 20253rd percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.7% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202616th percentile
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- 7.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line7.9% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability6.7% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$133,394 · 20240th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd 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: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Arlington County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Arlington County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Arlington County in 2024, pay from work was 73 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 22 cents. Benefit checks were 6 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
That split has held roughly steady since 1969, when benefit checks were 3 cents of every dollar.
In Arlington County, pay from work still brings in most of the money
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Arlington County, Virginia: 5.5% and 72.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 5.5% of all personal income in Arlington County, Virginia (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Arlington County has changed
The number of people living in Arlington County grew by about 37% between 1969 and 2024, from 174,981 to 239,807. The number of jobs located there grew by about 20% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 2.0% in 1990 to 2.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 174,981 | 2024 239,807 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 149,872 | 2024 179,244 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.6% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $42,022 | 2024 $133,394 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 2.8% | 2024 5.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Arlington County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 238,643, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1801
Established February 27, 1801. Wikipedia
1863
Freedman's Village established for emancipated enslaved people December 4, 1863. Wikipedia
2001
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Flash flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Thunderstorm wind: $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
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 58 | 16.4% | 12.6% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 22 | 7.5% | 7.6% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 20 | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
| Arlington County, VA | 4 | 8.0% | 5.5% |
| Falls Church city, VA | 4 | 4.6% | — |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 131st of 133 in the state.
Arlington County in photographs
Places in Arlington County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The tallest building in Arlington is the Central Place Tower.
Arlington County, Virginia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Arlington County, Virginia?
8.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 13 people. Among children it was 7.9%.
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 131st of 133 in the state.
What is the population of Arlington County, Virginia?
About 239,807 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 238,643, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Arlington County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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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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Legal Aid Justice Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.