Dickenson County, Virginia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.3 | 13,640 people · 38th most distressed in Virginia
American Default Research

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Dickenson County, VA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.3 — 965th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Virginia, it ranks 38th of 133 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Dickenson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 84.3 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 84.3
Poverty Rate 84
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 74
Employment & Wages 59.8
Unemployment Rate 74
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 10
Business Formation Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 54.1
Uninsured Rate 13
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 50.7
Debt in Collections 65
Medical Debt 38
Student Loan Delinquency 47
Auto Loan Delinquency 31
Credit Card Delinquency 82
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 42.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 39
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 44
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 14
Homeownership Rate 49
Rent-to-Income Ratio 65

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Dickenson County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Dickenson County
Dickenson County, VA 58.3 Elevated —
Pike County, KY 66.8 Serious +8.5
Wise County, VA 63.5 Elevated +5.2
Buchanan County, VA 63.1 Elevated +4.9
Russell County, VA 57.6 Elevated -0.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Dickenson County
Little River County, AR 58.3 Elevated 0.0
Allen County, KY 58.3 Elevated -0.0
Edmonson County, KY 58.3 Elevated +0.0
Geary County, KS 58.3 Elevated -0.0
Decatur County, TN 58.2 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Dickenson County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Dickenson County

Find an Attorney

Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Virginia State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-552-7977

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Dickenson County residents at no cost.

Virginia Legal Aid Society 540-342-3900
Legal Aid Justice Center 434-977-0553
Legal Services of Northern Virginia 703-778-6800
Virginia Poverty Law Center 804-782-9430
Central Virginia Legal Aid Society 804-648-1012
Blue Ridge Legal Services, Inc. (866) 534-5243
Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia (757) 827-5078
Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc. (888) 201-2772

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Dickenson County, Virginia?

    Dickenson County has a County Distress Index score of 58.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 965th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 38th in Virginia out of 133 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Dickenson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Dickenson County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 84.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Dickenson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Dickenson County (58.3) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Pike County, KY (66.8); Wise County, VA (63.5); Buchanan County, VA (63.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Dickenson County?

    Dickenson County, Virginia has a population of approximately 13,640 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.