About one in 13 people in Fairfax city, Virginia, has a disability
In Fairfax city, 7.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fairfax city's score
In Fairfax city, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 6.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.4%, August 2025, lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fairfax 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.
Even so, Fairfax city is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.4%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (218.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.9% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people218.7 · 202579th percentile
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- 14.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.0% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability7.9% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$126,239 · 20241st percentile
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- 12.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.9% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 6.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.4% · August 20252nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · second quarter of 20263rd 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 Fairfax city has changed
The number of jobs located in Fairfax city had its largest rise in the last span, from 18,024 in 2020 to 25,223 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Fairfax city fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 16,128 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fairfax city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.0% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $52,628 | 2024 $126,239 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Fairfax city's history
1984
A thunderstorm in May 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in September 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 24,146, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fairfax city, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fairfax city beside its neighbors
Fairfax city scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax city, VA | 18 | 7.8% | — |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
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 Fairfax city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Fairfax city's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 107th 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, Fairfax city ranks 111th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fairfax 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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Legal Services of Northern Virginia
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.
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.