About one in 13 people in Clarke County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Clarke County, 7.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clarke County's score
In Clarke County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 94.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 11.9. The typical household earns $104,104 a year (2024), more than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clarke 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, Clarke County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (38.6%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent38.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 26.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 14.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.9% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 14.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.9% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.7 · 202510th percentile
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- 11.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.8% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$104,104 · 20245th or lower 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.
Where the money in Clarke County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Clarke County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clarke County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clarke County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Clarke County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.7% in 2019 to 2.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 2.8%
Low on the chart: 2.4% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clarke County, Virginia.
How Clarke County has changed
Clarke County's population doubled to 15,598, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 12,150. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clarke County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Clarke County had its largest drop, from 4,413 in 2005 to 3,806 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Clarke County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 4,558 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clarke County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,567 | 2024 $104,104 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Clarke County's history
1836
Formed in 1836 from Frederick County. Wikipedia
1881
Bank of Clarke County founded 1881. Wikipedia
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 14,783, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarke County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clarke County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clarke County, in Virginia and West Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clarke County ranks 3rd of the five; Warren County is highest, at 20.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County, VA | 29 | 9.8% | 20.8% |
| Clarke County, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 16.6% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 17 | 8.7% | 18.6% |
| Frederick County, VA | 14 | 6.3% | — |
| Fauquier County, VA | 11 | 6.6% | 12.5% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 3 | 4.3% | 6.5% |
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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Clarke County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Clarke County's poverty rate was 7.5% in 2024, 108th 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, Clarke County ranks 109th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clarke 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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Blue Ridge Legal Services
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 Clarke 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.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Clarke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.