About one in 15 people in King George County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In King George County, 6.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives King George County's score
In King George County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 47.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.9. The typical household earns $110,440 a year (2024), more than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in King George 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, King George County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (8.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140 · 202556th percentile
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- 45.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 33.8 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 rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 3.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.6% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.4% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability10.3% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance3.3% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$110,440 · 20243rd 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 George 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 George County, 14.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
King George County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In King George County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 16.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In King George County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 16.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in King George County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.5% in 2015 to 9.6% in 2016.
The share of households in King George County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 6.8%
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2010. 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 George County, Virginia.
How King George County has changed
King George County's population had its largest rise, from 19,124 in 2004 to 23,335 in 2009.
King George County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 28,816, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 10,936. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, King George County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in King George County doubled to 13,622, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 9,231. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, King George County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 6.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,631 | 2024 $110,440 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 George County's history
1720
Established in 1720 from Richmond County. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,723, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered King George County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
King George County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border King George County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, King George County ranks 4th of the five; Essex County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VA | 84 | 11.7% | 32.6% |
| Westmoreland County, VA | 79 | 13.8% | 30.2% |
| Caroline County, VA | 46 | 10.4% | 22.7% |
| Stafford County, VA | 26 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
| King George County, VA | 18 | 6.6% | 16.1% |
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 George County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, King George County's poverty rate was 6.6% in 2024, 119th 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 George County ranks 110th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in King George 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 George 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 George County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.