Unemployment in Middlesex County, Virginia, is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties
In Middlesex County, 3.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Middlesex County's score
In Middlesex County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 57.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 27.4. About one in 12 renters (8.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Middlesex 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, Middlesex County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (25.8%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (210.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.7% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people210.5 · 202577th percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.0% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,752 · 202429th percentile
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- 27.4 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 rent8.7% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, 34.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Middlesex County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Middlesex County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Middlesex County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.4% in 2011 to 7.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Middlesex County, Virginia.
How Middlesex County has changed
Middlesex County's population nearly doubled to 10,949, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 7,452. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Middlesex County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Middlesex County had its largest rise, from 2,602 in 1995 to 3,209 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Middlesex County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 3,518 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Middlesex County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,384 | 2024 $74,752 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Middlesex County's history
1668
Officially formed in 1668 from a part of Lancaster County. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 10,959. The 2020 Census counted 10,625, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Middlesex County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Middlesex County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Middlesex County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Middlesex County ranks 2nd of the five; Essex County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VA | 84 | 11.7% | 32.6% |
| King and Queen County, VA | 59 | 12.5% | 25.9% |
| Mathews County, VA | 45 | 9.6% | 25.7% |
| Middlesex County, VA | 44 | 11.2% | 29.1% |
| Gloucester County, VA | 34 | 7.5% | 23.5% |
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 Middlesex County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Middlesex County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 78th 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, Middlesex County ranks 76th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Middlesex 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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Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia
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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.