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 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). 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. About one in 19 people (5.2%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% 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.
Botetourt 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 Botetourt 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.
- 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
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 22.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202619th percentile
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- 18.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score16.9% · Q4 202520th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,407 · 20249th percentile
- People below the poverty line5.2% · 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Botetourt 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
Botetourt County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Botetourt County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 22 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Botetourt County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Botetourt County, Virginia: 21.9% and 59.3% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 21.9% of all personal income in Botetourt 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 Botetourt County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Botetourt County has changed
The number of people living in Botetourt County grew by about 87% between 1969 and 2024, from 18,205 to 34,129. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 3.5% in 1990 to 2.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,205 | 2024 34,129 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,582 | 2024 11,729 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 5.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $31,181 | 2024 $92,407 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.2% | 2024 21.9% |
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 Botetourt County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,596, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1770
Created in 1770 from Augusta County. Wikipedia
1996
Flash flood: $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Botetourt County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 50 | 11.5% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 36 | 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 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 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.
Botetourt County in photographs
Places in Botetourt County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Fincastle, Virginia.
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Aerial view southeastward centered on the Blue Ridge Mountains near the border of Botetourt County, Rockbridge County and Bedford County in Virginia, viewed from an aircraft which had.
Botetourt County, Virginia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Botetourt County, Virginia?
5.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 19 people. Among children it was 6.9%.
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.
What is the population of Botetourt County, Virginia?
About 34,129 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 33,596, 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 Botetourt 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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Legal Aid Justice Center
Legal aid
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Virginia Poverty Law 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 Botetourt 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 Botetourt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.