In Giles County, Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Giles County, 18.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Giles County's score
In Giles County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 58.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 36.2. About one in eight people (13.2%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a lower share than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Giles 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.
Even so, Giles County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 54.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.7 · 202553rd percentile
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- 47.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 38.1 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
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- 36.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,417 · 202451st 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.
Where the money in Giles County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Giles County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Giles County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Giles County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Giles County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Giles County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2022 to 10.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Giles County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.1%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Giles County, Virginia.
How Giles County has changed
Giles County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 16,901 in 1974 to 18,044 in 1979.
Giles County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 18,044 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Giles County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Giles County had its largest rise in the last span, from 4,538 in 2020 to 5,245 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Giles County fell 5% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 4,538 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Giles County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,742 | 2024 $66,417 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Giles County's history
1806
Established in 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe, Wythe, and Tazewell counties. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 18,956. The 2020 Census counted 16,787, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in March 2010 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Giles County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Giles County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Giles County, in Virginia and West Virginia, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Giles County ranks 6th of the seven; Summers County is highest, at 45.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summers County, WV | 94 | 24.2% | 45.2% |
| Mercer County, WV | 76 | 17.9% | 40.1% |
| Pulaski County, VA | 69 | 13.3% | 30.7% |
| Monroe County, WV | 59 | 13.9% | 36.0% |
| Giles County, VA | 44 | 11.5% | 30.7% |
| Bland County, VA | 41 | 14.6% | 34.8% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 34 | 20.6% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Giles County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Giles County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 71st 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, Giles County ranks 75th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Giles 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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New River Community Action (giles County)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society
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.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Giles County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.