About one in four people in Henry County, Virginia, has a disability
In Henry County, 23.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 83.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 9.7%, August 2025, higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 79.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry 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.
Henry County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.7% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 79.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability23.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,340 · 202483rd percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167 · 202565th percentile
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- 56.6 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st 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 Henry County has changed
The number of jobs located in Henry County had its largest drop, from 21,700 in 2000 to 16,491 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Henry County fell 37% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 13,545 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $27,498 | 2024 $54,340 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Henry County's history
1777
Established in 1777 when carved from Pittsylvania County. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in August 1994 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 57,930. The 2020 Census counted 50,948, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A flash flood in June 2004 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in September 2004 did $53.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, in Virginia and North Carolina, one scores higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville city, VA | 93 | 18.8% | — |
| Henry County, VA | 85 | 16.0% | — |
| Rockingham County, NC | 74 | 17.2% | 33.3% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 63 | 13.5% | — |
| Patrick County, VA | 60 | 16.6% | 40.1% |
| Stokes County, NC | 49 | 11.8% | 32.2% |
| Franklin County, VA | 37 | 12.3% | 26.9% |
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 Henry County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 37th 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, Henry County ranks 23rd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry 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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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.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.