In Henrico County, Virginia, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Henrico County, 14.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henrico County's score
In Henrico County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 21.1. About one in nine people (11.5%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a lower share than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henrico 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, Henrico County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (337, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.4 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 rent23.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 65.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.1% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people337 · 202593rd percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.6% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 21.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.6% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,671 · 202414th 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 Henrico 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 Henrico County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henrico County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henrico County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 14.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Henrico County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 14.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henrico County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.5% in 2012 to 8.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Henrico County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.1%
Low on the chart: 5.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Henrico County, Virginia.
How Henrico County has changed
Henrico County's population had its largest rise, from 280,290 in 2004 to 304,763 in 2009.
Henrico County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 338,696, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 338,696. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henrico County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Henrico County nearly doubled to 193,232, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 165,498. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henrico County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.8% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,796 | 2024 $84,671 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Henrico County's history
1611
Citie of Henricus founded in 1611 by Thomas Dale on peninsula in James River. Wikipedia
1622
Destroyed during Indian massacre of 1622. Wikipedia
1634
Henrico Shire organized in 1634 as one of eight original Shires of Virginia. Wikipedia
1996
A flood in September 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in August 2004 did $2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in May 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 334,389, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in August 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henrico County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henrico County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henrico County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henrico County ranks 5th of the seven; Charles City County is highest, at 25.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond city, VA | 85 | 18.2% | 17.0% |
| Charles City County, VA | 68 | 11.4% | 25.1% |
| Henrico County, VA | 47 | 10.3% | 14.7% |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 34 | 7.1% | 17.1% |
| New Kent County, VA | 8 | 4.4% | 10.8% |
| Hanover County, VA | 7 | 6.1% | 15.2% |
| Goochland County, VA | 1 | 6.9% | 11.3% |
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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Henrico County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Henrico County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 84th 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, Henrico County ranks 70th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henrico 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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Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Richmond,va
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Central 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.
Download the CSV for Henrico 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.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Henrico County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.