About one in four people in Danville city, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Danville city, 22.9% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Danville city's score
In Danville city, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.8. People with a credit card behind: 10.3%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 88.9.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Danville city is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Danville city ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 92.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · Q4 202590th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.8% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202693rd percentile
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- 81.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.5% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people193.6 · 202573rd percentile
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- 80.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.0% · 202496th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,220 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.9% · 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 78.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
How Danville city has changed
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 5.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 26,872 | 2024 24,837 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.2% | 2024 22.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1993 $23,091 | 2024 $47,220 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Danville city's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 53,056. The 2020 Census counted 42,590, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1865
Danville served as the third and final capital of the Confederacy. Wikipedia
2018
Tornado: $2.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: $8 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Danville city, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Danville city beside its neighbors
Danville city scores higher than all two counties that border it, in Virginia and North Carolina.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danville city, VA | 98 | 22.9% | — |
| Caswell County, NC | 62 | 16.8% | 32.2% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 62 | 13.5% | — |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Danville city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Danville city's poverty rate was 22.9% in 2024, 8th 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, Danville city ranks 4th of 133 in the state.
Danville city in photographs
Places in Danville city from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Chrismon Tree on Christmas Eve at Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia.
View of the Dan River, Danville, Virginia.
Danville city, Virginia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Danville city, Virginia?
22.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.0%.
Is Danville city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Danville city's poverty rate was 22.9% in 2024, 8th 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, Danville city ranks 4th of 133 in the state.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Danville city
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Telamon Corporation - Danville Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Justice Center
Legal aid
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Virginia Poverty Law Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Danville city · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.