About one in five people in Bristol city, Virginia, has a disability

In Bristol city, 22.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
9th
of 133 counties in Virginia
94score /100

More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.

What drives Bristol city's score

In Bristol city, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 86.0. About one in two people (55.0%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 83.7.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bristol city: 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.

Bristol city does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Late payments

    Biggest factor
    86.0 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      8.1% · August 2025
      85th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      8.0% · August 2025
      82nd percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      55.0% · second quarter of 2026
      89th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    83.7 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      18.6% · 2024
      82nd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      26.4% · 2024
      85th percentile
    • People with a disability
      22.0% · 2020 to 2024
      88th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      11.0% · 2020 to 2024
      72nd percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $51,498 · 2024
      89th percentile

  • Housing costs

    83.2 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      23.7% · 2020 to 2024
      81st percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      25.4% · fiscal year 2027
      85th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    82.2 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      33.1% · August 2025
      82nd percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      232 · 2025
      82nd percentile

  • Jobs

    63.4 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      49th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      25.7% · 2020 to 2024
      77th percentile

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 Bristol city has changed

The number of jobs located in Bristol city had its largest drop, from 12,083 in 2010 to 9,776 in 2015.

The number of jobs located in Bristol city was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter

High on the chart: 14,002 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bristol city, Virginia.

010,00020,000 12,82810,854 19901995200020052010201520202025 010,00020,000 12,82810,854 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/bristol-city-va/
Download data (CSV)
MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 7.9% 2025 3.8% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 17.6% 2024 18.6% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1993 $23,533 2024 $51,498 Census SAIPE

The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Bristol city's history

  1. 1980

    The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 19,042. The 2020 Census counted 17,219, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau

  2. Since 1993

    13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bristol city, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA

Bristol city beside its neighbors

Bristol city scores higher than all two counties that border it, in Virginia and Tennessee.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Bristol city, VA 94 9th of 133 18.6% —
Sullivan County, TN 64 55th of 95 15.7% 27.8%
Washington County, VA 46 73rd of 133 11.7% —

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 Bristol city the poorest county in Virginia?

No, Bristol city's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Bristol city ranks 9th of 133 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Bristol city

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.

Virginia foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Bristol city · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Bristol city, Virginia, scores 94 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/bristol-city-va/

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.