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. 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 94.6. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Danville city: 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.
Danville city is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.2% · second quarter of 202695th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.8% · 2020 to 202484th 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
- People below the poverty line22.9% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line35.0% · 202496th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,220 · 202495th percentile
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- 78.0 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 rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202777th 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 Danville city has changed
The number of jobs located in Danville city fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 28,480 in 2005 to 25,876 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Danville city fell 11% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 28,480 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Danville city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.2% | 2024 22.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $23,091 | 2024 $47,220 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Danville city's history
1865
Danville served as the third and final capital of the Confederacy. Wikipedia
1990
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
2018
A tornado in April 2018 did $2.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in October 2018 did $8 million in property damage and killed two people. 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
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% | — |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 63 | 13.5% | — |
| Caswell County, NC | 60 | 16.8% | 32.2% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Danville city
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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Telamon Corporation - Danville Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Danville city · 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.