Buckingham County, Virginia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.1 | 16,978 people · 24th most distressed in Virginia
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Buckingham County, VA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.1 — 616th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Virginia, it ranks 24th of 133 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Buckingham County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 75.8 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 75.8
Debt in Collections 73
Medical Debt 14
Student Loan Delinquency 92
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 90
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 90
Income & Poverty 75.7
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 77
Child Poverty Rate 72
Community Vulnerability 69.0
Uninsured Rate 62
Disability Rate 76
Housing Cost Burden 50.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 36
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 75
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 66
Homeownership Rate 39
Rent-to-Income Ratio 39
Employment & Wages 44.4
Unemployment Rate 61
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 32
Business Formation Rate 40

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Buckingham County
Buckingham County, VA 63.1 Elevated —
Prince Edward County, VA 64.6 Elevated +1.5
Cumberland County, VA 50.0 Normal -13.2
Appomattox County, VA 44.7 Normal -18.4
Nelson County, VA 40.7 Normal -22.4
Fluvanna County, VA 34.7 Healthy -28.4
Albemarle County, VA 30.6 Healthy -32.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Buckingham County
Piscataquis County, ME 63.1 Elevated 0.0
Buchanan 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 Buckingham County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Buckingham 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 Buckingham 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 Buckingham County, Virginia?

    Buckingham County has a County Distress Index score of 63.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 616th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in Virginia out of 133 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Buckingham County?

    The primary driver of distress in Buckingham County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 75.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Buckingham County compare to neighboring counties?

    Buckingham County (63.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Prince Edward County, VA (64.6); Cumberland County, VA (50.0); Appomattox County, VA (44.7).

  • 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 Buckingham County?

    Buckingham County, Virginia has a population of approximately 16,978 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.