About one in five people in Carroll County, Virginia, has a disability
In Carroll County, 18.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 69.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 9.0%, August 2025, higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carroll 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.
Carroll County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.6%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.5% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 66.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,924 · 202478th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.6 · 202557th percentile
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- 38.0 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Carroll County has changed
The number of jobs located in Carroll County rose most sharply from its first year (4,946 in 1990) to 6,124 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 6,645 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carroll County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $24,176 | 2024 $56,924 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Carroll County's history
1842
Created in 1842 from part of Grayson County. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 30,042. The 2020 Census counted 29,155, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flood in January 2013 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
Hail in March 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carroll County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Carroll County, in Virginia and North Carolina, three score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galax city, VA | 78 | 21.6% | — |
| Pulaski County, VA | 69 | 13.3% | 30.7% |
| Wythe County, VA | 67 | 11.8% | 35.0% |
| Grayson County, VA | 65 | 17.6% | 38.5% |
| Carroll County, VA | 65 | 14.4% | — |
| Surry County, NC | 61 | 16.7% | 30.4% |
| Patrick County, VA | 60 | 16.6% | 40.1% |
| Floyd County, VA | 15 | 11.4% | 29.2% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 48th 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, Carroll County ranks 51st of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carroll 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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Southwest 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 Carroll 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.