In King and Queen County, Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In King and Queen County, 22.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives King and Queen County's score
In King and Queen County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 74.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 238.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in King and Queen 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.
King and Queen County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.6% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people238.1 · 202583rd percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 56.0 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,311 · 202466th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th 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 King and Queen 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 King and Queen County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
King and Queen County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In King and Queen County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In King and Queen County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in King and Queen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 13.3% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024.
The share of households in King and Queen County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 2.7% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, King and Queen County, Virginia.
How King and Queen County has changed
King and Queen County's population had its largest rise, from 6,012 in 1984 to 6,304 in 1989.
King and Queen County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,747
High on the chart: 6,933 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, King and Queen County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in King and Queen County nearly doubled to 1,156, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 1,032. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, King and Queen County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,917 | 2024 $61,311 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 King and Queen County's history
1691
Established in 1691 from New Kent County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,576. The 2020 Census counted 6,608, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered King and Queen County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
King and Queen County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border King and Queen County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, King and Queen County ranks 3rd of the seven; Essex County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VA | 84 | 11.7% | 32.6% |
| King and Queen County, VA | 59 | 12.5% | 25.9% |
| Caroline County, VA | 46 | 10.4% | 22.7% |
| Middlesex County, VA | 44 | 11.2% | 29.1% |
| King William County, VA | 40 | 6.6% | 20.2% |
| Gloucester County, VA | 34 | 7.5% | 23.5% |
| James City County, VA | 18 | 6.4% | — |
| New Kent County, VA | 8 | 4.4% | 10.8% |
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 King and Queen County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, King and Queen County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 59th 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, King and Queen County ranks 60th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in King and Queen 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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Legal Services of Northern Virginia
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 King and Queen 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 King and Queen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.