About one in 14 people in Augusta County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Augusta County, 7.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Augusta County's score
In Augusta County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 39.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.1. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Augusta 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.
Augusta 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.
- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 37.0 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.4 · 202547th percentile
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- 23.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.3% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,543 · 202419th percentile
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- 12.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th 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 Augusta County has changed
The number of jobs located in Augusta County rose by more than half to 31,235, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 31,235. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Augusta County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 7.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $33,775 | 2024 $80,543 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Augusta County's history
1738
Formed in 1738 from Orange County. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in May 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 did $2 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 77,487, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Hail in April 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Augusta County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Augusta County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Augusta County, in Virginia and West Virginia, six score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro city, VA | 60 | 11.8% | — |
| Staunton city, VA | 53 | 13.1% | — |
| Highland County, VA | 38 | 12.6% | 32.0% |
| Nelson County, VA | 35 | 11.5% | 28.0% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 25 | 12.2% | 39.1% |
| Bath County, VA | 17 | 11.3% | 22.5% |
| Augusta County, VA | 16 | 7.3% | — |
| Rockingham County, VA | 13 | 8.2% | — |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 12 | 9.9% | — |
| 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 Augusta County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Augusta County's poverty rate was 7.3% in 2024, 111th 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, Augusta County ranks 114th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Augusta 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 Augusta 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.