Buchanan County, Virginia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.1 | 19,087 people · 23rd most distressed in Virginia
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Buchanan County, VA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.1 — 615th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Virginia, it ranks 23rd of 133 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Buchanan County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.1 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.1
Poverty Rate 92
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 83
Employment & Wages 62.5
Unemployment Rate 87
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 60.7
Debt in Collections 78
Medical Debt 37
Student Loan Delinquency 47
Auto Loan Delinquency 82
Credit Card Delinquency 49
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 71
Community Vulnerability 60.4
Uninsured Rate 26
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 42.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 32
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 82
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 10
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Buchanan County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Buchanan County
Buchanan County, VA 63.1 Elevated —
Mingo County, WV 68.3 Serious +5.2
McDowell County, WV 68.0 Serious +4.9
Pike County, KY 66.8 Serious +3.6
Tazewell County, VA 63.7 Elevated +0.5
Dickenson County, VA 58.3 Elevated -4.9
Russell County, VA 57.6 Elevated -5.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Buchanan County
Piscataquis County, ME 63.1 Elevated 0.0
Buckingham County, VA 63.1 Elevated 0.0
Wharton County, TX 63.1 Elevated +0.0
Bladen County, NC 63.1 Elevated -0.0
Cedar County, MO 63.1 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Buchanan County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Buchanan County

Find an Attorney

Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-552-7977

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Buchanan County residents at no cost.

Virginia Legal Aid Society 540-342-3900
Legal Aid Justice Center 434-977-0553
Legal Services of Northern Virginia 703-778-6800
Virginia Poverty Law Center 804-782-9430
Central Virginia Legal Aid Society 804-648-1012
Blue Ridge Legal Services, Inc. (866) 534-5243
Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia (757) 827-5078
Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc. (888) 201-2772

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Buchanan County, Virginia?

    Buchanan County has a County Distress Index score of 63.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 615th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 23rd in Virginia out of 133 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Buchanan County?

    The primary driver of distress in Buchanan County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Buchanan County compare to neighboring counties?

    Buchanan County (63.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mingo County, WV (68.3); McDowell County, WV (68.0); Pike County, KY (66.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Buchanan County?

    Buchanan County, Virginia has a population of approximately 19,087 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.