About one in 19 people in Botetourt County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Botetourt County, 5.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Botetourt County's score
In Botetourt County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 30.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Botetourt 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.
Botetourt 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.
- 30.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.6% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people120.1 · 202546th percentile
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- 23.8 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 22.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 15.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.0% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.2% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,407 · 20249th 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 Botetourt 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 Botetourt County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Botetourt County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Botetourt County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Botetourt County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Botetourt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.7% in 2009 to 3.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Botetourt County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3.2%, with its low point on the chart in 2021
Low on the chart: 2.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Botetourt County, Virginia.
How Botetourt County has changed
Botetourt County's population had its largest rise, from 27,083 in 1994 to 30,138 in 1999.
Botetourt County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,129, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 33,065. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Botetourt County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Botetourt County had its largest rise in the last span, from 10,545 in 2020 to 12,344 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Botetourt County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,344, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 8,961. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Botetourt County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 5.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,181 | 2024 $92,407 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Botetourt County's history
1770
Created in 1770 from Augusta County. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in July 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,596, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Botetourt County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Botetourt County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Botetourt County score higher than it does. Of the group, Botetourt County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Craig County gets the largest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany County, VA | 51 | 11.5% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
| 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 Botetourt County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Botetourt County's poverty rate was 5.2% in 2024, 130th 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, Botetourt County ranks 128th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Botetourt 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 Botetourt 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 Botetourt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.