Unemployment in Lancaster County, Virginia, is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties
In Lancaster County, 5.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lancaster County's score
In Lancaster County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.2. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 60.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lancaster 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.
Lancaster County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.4%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.9% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221 · 202579th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.2% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 48.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,909 · 202441st percentile
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- 23.0 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 rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, 39.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lancaster County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lancaster County had its largest rise, from 18.7% in 2004 to 23.7% in 2009.
In Lancaster County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Lancaster County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lancaster County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.7% in 2015 to 10.2% in 2016.
The share of households in Lancaster County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lancaster County, Virginia.
How Lancaster County has changed
Lancaster County's population had its largest rise, from 9,503 in 1974 to 10,360 in 1979.
Lancaster County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11,062
High on the chart: 11,514 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lancaster County, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lancaster County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,731. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lancaster County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.2% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,389 | 2024 $69,909 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Lancaster County's history
1651
Established in 1651 from Northumberland and York counties. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in May 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 11,567. The 2020 Census counted 10,919, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2009
A thunderstorm in July 2009 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in July 2009 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in August 2020 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lancaster County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lancaster County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Lancaster County score higher than it does. Of the group, Lancaster County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Northumberland County gets the largest, at 31.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland County, VA | 67 | 12.2% | 31.9% |
| Richmond County, VA | 65 | 16.7% | 31.4% |
| Lancaster County, VA | 53 | 11.0% | 24.6% |
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 Lancaster County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Lancaster County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 80th 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, Lancaster County ranks 64th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.