Unemployment in Martinsville city, Virginia, is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Martinsville city, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Martinsville city's score
In Martinsville city, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.4. People with a credit card behind: 9.8%, August 2025, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Martinsville city is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Martinsville city ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 91.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · Q4 202586th percentile
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- 81.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.3% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people218 · 202579th percentile
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- 77.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line30.7% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,663 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202689th percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
How Martinsville city has changed
Unemployment fell from 9.5% in 1990 to 5.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 18,168 | 2024 9,239 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1993 $24,782 | 2024 $48,663 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Martinsville city's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 19,653. The 2020 Census counted 13,485, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Thunderstorm wind: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Martinsville city, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Martinsville city beside its neighbors
Martinsville city scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville city, VA | 92 | 18.8% | — |
| Henry County, VA | 83 | 16.0% | — |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Martinsville city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Martinsville city's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 21st 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, Martinsville city ranks 10th of 133 in the state.
Martinsville city in photographs
Places in Martinsville city from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Class of 1912, Martinsville High School, Martinsville, Virginia (retouched by MarmadukePercy).
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Dr.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Martinsville city, Virginia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Martinsville city, Virginia?
18.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 30.7%.
Is Martinsville city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Martinsville city's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 21st 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, Martinsville city ranks 10th of 133 in the state.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Martinsville city
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Aid Justice Center
Legal aid
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Virginia Poverty Law Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Martinsville city · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.