Lynchburg city, Virginia
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Lynchburg city, Virginia ranks 433rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 433rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 71.4 · high county distress, 22nd in Virginia.
- 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 90th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 220 — national median 126, ranked at the 80th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 71st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 19-point drop to Bedford County marks where the Virginia distress corridor ends.
"Lynchburg city has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis)."
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Subprime credit population
Debt in collections
The Indicators Behind Lynchburg city's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lynchburg city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lynchburg city | VA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 69 · Rank 921 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 71st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 69th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 28% | 25% | 23% | 66th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 69 · Rank 761 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 26% | 22% | 23% | 59th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 220 | 177 | 126 | 80th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 83 · Rank 322 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 75th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 26% | 19% | 18% | 90th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 82 · Rank 548 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 82nd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 55 · Rank 1,406 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 18% | 18% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 13% | 15% | 16% | 22nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 13% | 14% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 7% | 8% | 35th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Lynchburg city data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 153-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Lynchburg city ranks 433rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 71.4 out of 100 gives Lynchburg city a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 432 counties rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Lynchburg city ranks 22nd of 133 counties and independent cities.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Lynchburg. 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
"Lynchburg city has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lynchburg city's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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