About two in five people with a credit file in Franklin city, Virginia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Franklin city, 42.3% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin city's score
In Franklin city, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.2. People with a credit card behind: 13.8%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 91.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin city does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (2.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind13.8% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind14.6% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score53.2% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
-
- 91.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.3% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people275.8 · 202588th percentile
-
- 85.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
-
- 85.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
-
- 73.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.7% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.9% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance2.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,516 · 202489th 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 Franklin city has changed
The number of jobs located in Franklin city had its largest rise, from 3,745 in 1995 to 4,255 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Franklin city was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 4,519 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 19.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $24,470 | 2024 $51,516 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Franklin city's history
2006
A flash flood in October 2006 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 8,582. The 2020 Census counted 8,180, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
International Paper mill permanently closed in May 2010, eliminating ~1,100 jobs. Wikipedia
-
Since 1993
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin city. FEMA
Franklin city beside its neighbors
Franklin city scores higher than all two counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin city, VA | 98 | 19.7% | — |
| Southampton County, VA | 52 | 12.7% | — |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 32 | 8.2% | 21.1% |
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 Franklin city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Franklin city's poverty rate was 19.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Franklin city ranks 3rd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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.
-
Virginia Legal Aid Society
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 Franklin 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.