About one in 12 people in Louisa County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Louisa County, 8.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Louisa County's score
In Louisa County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 21.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Louisa 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, Louisa County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (251, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people251 · 202585th percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.1% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 42.8 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 rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.4% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,062 · 202412th 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 Louisa 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 Louisa County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Louisa County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Louisa County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Louisa County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Louisa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.3% in 2020 to 8.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Louisa County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.4%
High on the chart: 11.8% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Louisa County, Virginia.
How Louisa County has changed
Louisa County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 37,126 in 2019 to 42,109 in 2024.
Louisa County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42,109, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 18,563. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Louisa County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Louisa County had its largest rise, from 7,326 in 2010 to 9,477 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Louisa County nearly doubled to 10,331, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 10,331 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Louisa County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,388 | 2024 $87,062 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Louisa County's history
1742
Established in 1742 from Hanover County. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 37,596, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
Lightning in April 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Louisa County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Louisa County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Louisa County, one scores higher. Of the group, Louisa County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (25.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 46 | 7.0% | — |
| Louisa County, VA | 42 | 8.3% | 25.0% |
| Orange County, VA | 26 | 8.5% | 23.9% |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 24 | 7.1% | 21.5% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 10 | 8.3% | — |
| Hanover County, VA | 7 | 6.1% | 15.2% |
| Goochland County, VA | 1 | 6.9% | 11.3% |
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 Louisa County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Louisa County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 100th 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, Louisa County ranks 78th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Louisa 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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Central 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.
Download the CSV for Louisa 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 Louisa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.