About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Lexington city, Virginia, have a job

In Lexington city, 11.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
89th
of 133 counties in Virginia
36score /100

Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.

What drives Lexington city's score

In Lexington city, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 71.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 10.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 39.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lexington city: 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, Lexington city is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (28.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (22.7%, 2024).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    71.4 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      28.8% · 2020 to 2024
      top 5%
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      20.5% · fiscal year 2027
      47th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    47.0 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      22.7% · 2024
      93rd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      13.0% · 2024
      27th percentile
    • People with a disability
      13.5% · 2020 to 2024
      26th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      5.3% · 2020 to 2024
      23rd percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $62,033 · 2024
      64th percentile

  • Jobs

    46.3 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      87th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      11.1% · 2020 to 2024
      5th or lower percentile

  • Late payments

    36.3 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      4.1% · August 2025
      26th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      not published for this county; scored at the state median · August 2025
      62nd percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      32.2% · second quarter of 2026
      19th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    10.2 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      13.9% · August 2025
      14th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      39.9 · 2025
      5th percentile

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 Lexington city has changed

The number of jobs located in Lexington city rose by about half to 5,461, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025

Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 5,461. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lexington city, Virginia.

03,0006,000 3,7635,461 19901995200020052010201520202025 03,0006,000 3,7635,461 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/lexington-city-va/
Download data (CSV)
MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 8.0% 2025 5.0% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 16.9% 2024 22.7% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1993 $27,014 2024 $62,033 Census SAIPE

The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Lexington city's history

  1. 1778

    First settled in 1778. Wikipedia

  2. 1970

    The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 7,597. The 2020 Census counted 7,320, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau

  3. Since 1972

    14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lexington city, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA

Lexington city beside its neighbors

Lexington city scores higher than all one counties that border it.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Lexington city, VA 36 89th of 133 22.7% —
Rockbridge County, VA 12 120th of 133 9.9% —

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 Lexington city the poorest county in Virginia?

No, Lexington city's poverty rate was 22.7% in 2024, 9th 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, Lexington city ranks 89th of 133 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Lexington city

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.

Virginia foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Lexington city · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Lexington city, Virginia, scores 36 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/lexington-city-va/

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.