Unemployment in Emporia city, Virginia, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Emporia city, 8.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Emporia city's score
In Emporia city, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 12.1%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 92.7.
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.
Emporia city does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Emporia 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.
- 94.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.8% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · Q4 202592nd percentile
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- 92.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.6% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people366.1 · 202594th percentile
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- 77.3 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 income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 76.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line32.6% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,306 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 73.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average8.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th 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 Emporia city has changed
Unemployment rose from 6.5% in 1990 to 7.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,594 | 2024 3,366 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 7.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.0% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1993 $22,559 | 2024 $48,306 |
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 Emporia city's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 5,927. The 2020 Census counted 5,766, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1887
In 1887, Hicksford and Belfield merged, forming the newly incorporated town of Emporia. Wikipedia
1893
Poor farm conditions and Panic of 1893 caused county population decrease between 1880 and 1890. Wikipedia
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Since 1993
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Emporia city, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Emporia city beside its neighbors
Emporia city scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emporia city, VA | 97 | 20.6% | — |
| Greensville County, VA | 90 | 26.2% | — |
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 Emporia city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Emporia city's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 12th 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, Emporia city ranks 5th of 133 in the state.
Emporia city in photographs
Places in Emporia city from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Downtown Emporia, Virginia.
Photo: Corvokarasu at English Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
1986 Skippers Road Emporia VA Voting House.
Emporia city, Virginia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Emporia city, Virginia?
20.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 32.6%.
Is Emporia city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Emporia city's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 12th 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, Emporia city ranks 5th 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 Emporia 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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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.
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.