About one in nine people in Montgomery County, Virginia, has a disability
In Montgomery County, 10.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 21.9. About one in eight people with a credit file (13.2%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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, Montgomery County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (29.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (20.6%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.1% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202652nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.2% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 33.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,511 · 202439th percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.2% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people90.2 · 202531st 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.
How Montgomery County has changed
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 28,865 in 1995 to 34,860 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County rose by about half to 43,874, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 43,874 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $28,953 | 2024 $70,511 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Montgomery County's history
1776
Established December 31, 1776, from parts of Fincastle County. Wikipedia
1987
A tornado in March 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in September 2015 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 99,721, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Montgomery County, three score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radford city, VA | 77 | 27.2% | — |
| Pulaski County, VA | 69 | 13.3% | 30.7% |
| Giles County, VA | 44 | 11.5% | 30.7% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 34 | 20.6% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 16 | 7.1% | — |
| Floyd County, VA | 15 | 11.4% | 29.2% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 12th 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, Montgomery County ranks 92nd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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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New River Community Action (montgomery Area)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Southwest 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 Montgomery 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.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.