#810 Virginia · 2026

Dinwiddie County, Virginia

Second-most distressed fifth 810th of 3,144 counties nationally · 28,343 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Dinwiddie residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 35 words · paste-ready

Dinwiddie County, Virginia ranks 810th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

Key Findings
  • 810th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 41st in Virginia.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 92nd percentile nationally.
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 385 — national median 126, ranked at the 96th percentile.
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 73rd percentile.
  • Transfer-income dependency at 28% — national median 27%, ranked at the 54th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 92nd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 47-point drop to Chesterfield County marks where the Virginia distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Dinwiddie County, Virginia and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Dinwiddie and its 8 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Dinwiddie County ranks 810th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 28 words

"Dinwiddie County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 30 words

"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Dinwiddie County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Dinwiddie County'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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Dinwiddie County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Dinwiddie VA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 86 · Rank 349 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 9% 6% 5% 87th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 6% 5% 92nd Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 31% 25% 23% 78th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 356 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 28% 22% 23% 68th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 385 177 126 96th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 64 · Rank 954 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 24% 22% 21% 73rd HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 19% 19% 18% 55th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 43 · Rank 1,833 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 43rd BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 43 · Rank 1,828 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 17% 18% 18% 47th Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 15% 15% 16% 41st Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 13% 14% 36th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 28% 28% 27% 54th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 6% 7% 8% 35th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

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 86
Weight 20% · Rank 349 of 3,144
Default & Legal 82
Weight 20% · Rank 356 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 64
Weight 20% · Rank 954 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 43
Weight 20% · Rank 1,828 of 3,144
Labor 43
Weight 20% · Rank 1,833 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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Dinwiddie County 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
Draft wire copy 156-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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DINWIDDIE, Va. — Dinwiddie County ranks 810th 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 64 out of 100 places Dinwiddie in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 809 counties rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Dinwiddie ranks 41st of 133 counties and independent cities.

The index, which draws on 16 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 Dinwiddie. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

"Dinwiddie County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dinwiddie County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Dinwiddie County scores 64 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the second-most distressed fifth. It ranks 810th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 41st of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Dinwiddie County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 86. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 92nd percentile nationally.

How does Dinwiddie County compare to its neighbors?

Dinwiddie County's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Petersburg city (92.80, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Chesterfield County (45.54, Middle fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 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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