About one in nine people in Culpeper County, Virginia, has a disability
In Culpeper County, 11.1% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Culpeper County's score
In Culpeper County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 50.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.9. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (16.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 77% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Culpeper 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, Culpeper County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.3% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.4 · 202565th percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.4% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 42.9 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 rent16.0% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance11.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,050 · 20248th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Culpeper 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 Culpeper County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Culpeper County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Culpeper County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Culpeper County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Culpeper County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.4% in 2011 to 8.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Culpeper County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9.8%
High on the chart: 10.0% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Culpeper County, Virginia.
How Culpeper County has changed
Culpeper County's population had its largest rise, from 39,670 in 2004 to 46,236 in 2009.
Culpeper County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 56,125, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 23,366. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Culpeper County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Culpeper County nearly doubled to 16,412, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 13,061. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Culpeper County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,653 | 2024 $93,050 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Culpeper County's history
1749
Created in 1749 from Orange County. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in October 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in April 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in September 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 52,552, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Culpeper County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Culpeper County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Culpeper County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Culpeper County ranks 3rd of the six; Orange County is highest, at 23.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 46 | 7.0% | — |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 33 | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 30 | 9.6% | 20.0% |
| Orange County, VA | 26 | 8.5% | 23.9% |
| Stafford County, VA | 26 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 11 | 6.6% | 12.5% |
| Madison County, VA | 9 | 10.3% | 20.7% |
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 Culpeper County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Culpeper County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 90th 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, Culpeper County ranks 99th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Culpeper 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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Legal Services of Northern Virginia
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 Culpeper 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 Culpeper County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.