About one in nine people in Campbell County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Campbell County, 11.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Campbell County's score
In Campbell County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 59.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 33.3. About one in nine renters (11.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Campbell County: 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.
Even so, Campbell County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (224.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people224.4 · 202580th percentile
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- 52.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.8% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,111 · 202454th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
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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 Campbell County has changed
The number of jobs located in Campbell County had its largest drop, from 17,883 in 2000 to 15,574 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Campbell County fell 4% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2005
Low on the chart: 15,574 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Campbell County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $31,626 | 2024 $65,111 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Campbell County's history
1782
Established in 1782 from part of Bedford County, the first county formed after the American Revolution. Wikipedia
1875
Oxford Iron Works closed in 1875. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Lightning in June 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in April 2018 did $6.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,696, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Campbell County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Campbell County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Campbell County, five score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County, VA | 85 | 15.0% | 38.4% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 80 | 17.8% | — |
| Charlotte County, VA | 70 | 15.9% | 38.7% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 63 | 13.5% | — |
| Amherst County, VA | 61 | 12.5% | 33.2% |
| Campbell County, VA | 41 | 11.2% | — |
| Appomattox County, VA | 38 | 12.2% | 31.0% |
| Bedford County, VA | 26 | 8.9% | 24.9% |
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 Campbell County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Campbell County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 78th 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, Campbell County ranks 81st of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Campbell County
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.
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Virginia Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Campbell County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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.