About one in 14 people in Falls Church city, Virginia, has a disability
In Falls Church city, 7.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Falls Church city's score
In Falls Church city, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 41.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 22 people (4.6%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Falls Church 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.
Falls Church city 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.
- 41.8 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
-
- 24.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
-
- 13.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.9 · 202522nd percentile
-
- 12.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score15.8% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
-
- 5.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.6% · 20245th or lower percentile
- Children below the poverty line3.9% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability7.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance1.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$161,600 · 20245th or lower percentile
-
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 Falls Church city has changed
The number of jobs located in Falls Church city had its largest drop, from 17,204 in 1990 to 12,613 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Falls Church city fell 28% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 10,899 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Falls Church city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.1% | 2024 4.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $55,126 | 2024 $161,600 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Falls Church city's history
1875
Gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875; incorporated as city in 1948. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in October 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in August 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 14,658, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1972
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Falls Church city, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Falls Church city beside its neighbors
Of the two counties that border Falls Church city, one scores higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
| Falls Church city, VA | 4 | 4.6% | — |
| Arlington County, VA | 4 | 8.0% | 5.5% |
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 Falls Church city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Falls Church city's poverty rate was 4.6% in 2024, 131st 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, Falls Church city ranks 129th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Falls Church 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.
-
Legal Services of Northern Virginia
Legal aid
-
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 Falls Church city · 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.