About one in 23 people in New Kent County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In New Kent County, 4.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives New Kent County's score
In New Kent County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 43.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in New Kent 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.
New Kent County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 43.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.9% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people191.3 · 202572nd percentile
-
- 29.1 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 rent18.6% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
-
- 24.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.3% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
-
- 15.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
-
- 4.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.4% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.1% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$126,545 · 20241st 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.
Where the money in New Kent 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 New Kent County, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
New Kent County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in New Kent County had its largest rise, from 8.6% in 2004 to 10.6% in 2009.
In New Kent County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 10.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks
In New Kent County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in New Kent County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.3% in 2019 to 4.1% in 2020.
The share of households in New Kent County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, New Kent County, Virginia.
How New Kent County has changed
New Kent County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 22,472 in 2019 to 27,218 in 2024.
New Kent County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 27,218, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 9,121. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, New Kent County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in New Kent County had its largest rise in the last span, from 4,980 in 2020 to 6,309 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in New Kent County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 6,309, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 3,755. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, New Kent County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.5% | 2024 4.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,627 | 2024 $126,545 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 New Kent County's history
1654
Established in 1654 from York County. Wikipedia
1654
English settlers forced from Kent Island, Maryland relocated to New Kent County. Wikipedia
2011
A tornado in October 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 22,945, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered New Kent County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
New Kent County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border New Kent County, five score higher. Of the group, New Kent County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; King and Queen County gets the largest, at 25.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City County, VA | 68 | 11.4% | 25.1% |
| King and Queen County, VA | 59 | 12.5% | 25.9% |
| Henrico County, VA | 47 | 10.3% | 14.7% |
| King William County, VA | 40 | 6.6% | 20.2% |
| James City County, VA | 18 | 6.4% | — |
| New Kent County, VA | 8 | 4.4% | 10.8% |
| Hanover County, VA | 7 | 6.1% | 15.2% |
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: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is New Kent County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, New Kent County's poverty rate was 4.4% in 2024, 132nd 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, New Kent County ranks 125th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in New Kent 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.
-
Central 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 New Kent 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 New Kent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.