About one in 16 people in Frederick County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Frederick County, 6.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Frederick County's score
In Frederick County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 41.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Frederick 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.
Frederick 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.
- 41.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.8% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154.2 · 202561st percentile
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- 30.9 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.4% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.3% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.0% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$95,730 · 20247th 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 Frederick County has changed
The number of jobs located in Frederick County had its largest rise, from 22,933 in 2010 to 29,128 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Frederick County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 38,290, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 14,852. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Frederick County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 6.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $37,542 | 2024 $95,730 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Frederick County's history
1738
Created from Orange County in 1738, officially organized in 1743. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in May 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,419, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Frederick County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Frederick County beside its neighbors
All nine counties that border Frederick County, in Virginia and West Virginia, score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester city, VA | 65 | 15.7% | — |
| Hampshire County, WV | 52 | 14.1% | 30.0% |
| Hardy County, WV | 49 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Berkeley County, WV | 44 | 11.0% | 19.4% |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 30 | 10.3% | 24.4% |
| Warren County, VA | 29 | 9.8% | 20.8% |
| Morgan County, WV | 26 | 11.2% | 33.5% |
| Clarke County, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 16.6% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 17 | 8.7% | 18.6% |
| Frederick County, VA | 14 | 6.3% | — |
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 Frederick County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Frederick County's poverty rate was 6.3% in 2024, 124th 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, Frederick County ranks 117th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Frederick 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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Blue Ridge Legal Services
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 Frederick 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.