About one in 13 people in Fairfax County, Virginia, has a disability
In Fairfax County, 8.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fairfax County's score
In Fairfax County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fairfax County: 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.
Fairfax County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 48.0 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 22.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.6% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 15.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.2% · August 20254th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.5 · 202527th percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.7% · second quarter of 20262nd percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.0% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.4% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability8.0% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$153,889 · 20240th 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 County has changed
The number of jobs located in Fairfax County had its largest rise, from 417,133 in 1995 to 537,746 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Fairfax County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 634,638, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 591,639. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fairfax County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.4% | 2024 6.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $62,607 | 2024 $153,889 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 County's history
1742
Created June 19, 1742. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in April 1973 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in September 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,150,309, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A thunderstorm in May 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fairfax County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fairfax County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Fairfax County, in Virginia and Maryland, six score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County, MD | 78 | 10.4% | 17.8% |
| Charles County, MD | 58 | 6.8% | 16.2% |
| Prince William County, VA | 29 | 6.6% | — |
| Alexandria city, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 7.6% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 18 | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Fairfax city, VA | 18 | 7.8% | — |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
| Falls Church city, VA | 4 | 4.6% | — |
| Arlington County, VA | 4 | 8.0% | 5.5% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 3 | 4.3% | 6.5% |
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 County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Fairfax County's poverty rate was 6.0% in 2024, 126th 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 County ranks 127th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fairfax County
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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Cornerstones, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
Download the CSV for Fairfax County · 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.