#51 Top 100 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Danville city, Virginia

85.0 · very high county distress 51st of 3,144 counties nationally · 41,837 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
10% Danville residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

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Danville city, Virginia ranks 51st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 51st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 85.0 · very high county distress, 4th in Virginia.
  • 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Unemployment at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 92nd percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
  • Debt in collections at 37% — national median 23%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Poverty rate at 23% — national median 14%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
County Distress Index cluster map. Danville city, Virginia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Danville city and its 2 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Danville city ranks 51st of 3,144. American Default Research
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Danville city has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 26 words

The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Reporting hook
Child poverty is the reporting lead

According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 29% of children under 18 in Danville city live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

5.5% -3.8 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

22.9% +6.7 pp since 1989
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

36.1% -1.1 pp since 2014 Q2
Urban Institute 2020 to 2024

Debt in collections

37.5% -12.1 pp since 2020

The Indicators Behind Danville city's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Danville city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Danville city's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Danville city VA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 93 · Rank 133 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 10% 6% 5% 93rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 10% 6% 5% 96th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 36% 25% 23% 90th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 368 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 37% 22% 23% 90th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 194 177 126 73rd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 76 · Rank 516 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 24% 22% 21% 75th 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% 78th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 92 · Rank 226 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 6% 4% 4% 92nd U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 82 · Rank 316 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 29% 18% 18% 89th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 19% 15% 16% 74th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 23% 13% 14% 93rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 9% 7% 8% 58th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 93
Weight 20% · Rank 133 of 3,144
Labor 92
Weight 20% · Rank 226 of 3,144
Default & Legal 82
Weight 20% · Rank 368 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 82
Weight 20% · Rank 316 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 76
Weight 20% · Rank 516 of 3,144

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 Danville city data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
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DANVILLE, Va. — Danville city ranks 51st 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 85.0 out of 100 gives Danville city a very high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 50 rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Danville city ranks fourth 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 Danville. 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Danville city's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Danville city scores 85.0 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label very high county distress. It ranks 51st of 3,144 U.S. counties and 4th of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Danville city's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 93. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 96th percentile nationally.

How does Danville city compare to its neighbors?

Danville city's neighbors span 1 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Pittsylvania County (58.39, moderate county distress). Lowest: Caswell County, NC (55.57, moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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