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. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% 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 92.4. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Martinsville 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.
Martinsville city is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.3% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
-
- 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
-
- 77.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.7% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,663 · 202493rd percentile
-
- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
-
- 66.9 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd 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 Martinsville city has changed
The number of jobs located in Martinsville city had its largest drop, from 16,102 in 1995 to 13,325 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Martinsville city fell by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,857, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2020 to 2025, reaching 8,857. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Martinsville city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $24,782 | 2024 $48,663 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Martinsville city's history
1970
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
A thunderstorm in June 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1972
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Martinsville city, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Martinsville city beside its neighbors
Martinsville city scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville city, VA | 93 | 18.8% | — |
| Henry County, VA | 85 | 16.0% | — |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Martinsville 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 Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
-
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 Martinsville city · 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.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.