Buckingham County, Virginia
More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
Buckingham County, Virginia ranks 544th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 544th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 69.1 · moderate-high county distress, 27th in Virginia.
- 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 294 — national median 126, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Poverty rate at 18% — national median 14%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 22% — national median 18%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 94th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 45-point drop to Albemarle County marks where the Virginia distress corridor ends.
Buckingham County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Buckingham County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Buckingham County's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Buckingham | VA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 90 · Rank 217 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 25% | 23% | 86th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 360 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 30% | 22% | 23% | 73rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 294 | 177 | 126 | 90th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 57 · Rank 1,227 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 22% | 21% | 39th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 19% | 18% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 46th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 71 · Rank 770 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 18% | 18% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 19% | 15% | 16% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 13% | 14% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 7% | 8% | 62nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Buckingham County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 134-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BUCKINGHAM, Va. — Buckingham County ranks 544th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 69.1 out of 100 gives Buckingham a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 543 counties rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Buckingham ranks 27th of 133 counties and independent cities.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Buckingham. 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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