About one in 11 people in Bedford County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Bedford County, 8.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bedford County's score
In Bedford County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bedford 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, Bedford County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.7 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 rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 44.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.5% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people173 · 202567th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.0% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,289 · 202424th 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County, 23.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bedford County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bedford County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Bedford County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bedford County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 7.9% in 2013 to 8.9% in 2014; 8.7% in 2015 to 7.7% in 2016.
The share of households in Bedford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bedford County, Virginia.
How Bedford County has changed
Bedford County's population had its largest rise, from 50,658 in 1989 to 58,776 in 1994.
Bedford County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 82,182, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 79,121. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bedford County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Bedford County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 15,638 in 2010 to 18,896 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Bedford County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 18,784
High on the chart: 18,896 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bedford County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.2% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $35,546 | 2024 $77,289 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Bedford County's history
1753
Established by Virginia General Assembly December 13, 1753, from parts of Lunenburg County. Wikipedia
1923
Mass poisoning in Bedford 1923 with nine men killed from apple cider stored in pesticide barrel. Wikipedia
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in September 2010 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 79,462, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bedford County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bedford County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Bedford County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bedford County ranks 3rd of the four; Amherst County is highest, at 33.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynchburg city, VA | 80 | 17.8% | — |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 63 | 13.5% | — |
| Amherst County, VA | 61 | 12.5% | 33.2% |
| Campbell County, VA | 41 | 11.2% | — |
| Franklin County, VA | 37 | 12.3% | 26.9% |
| Bedford County, VA | 26 | 8.9% | 24.9% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 16 | 7.1% | — |
| 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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Bedford County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Bedford County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 97th 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, Bedford County ranks 105th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bedford 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.