In Newport News city, Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Newport News city, 29.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newport News city's score
In Newport News city, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.6. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 86.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Newport News 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.
Newport News city does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (18.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (12.6%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.4% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 86.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people297.6 · 202590th percentile
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- 84.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.3% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,970 · 202446th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.5% · 2020 to 202436th 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 Newport News city 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 Newport News city, 14.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Newport News city
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Newport News city rose most in two steps: 14.3% in 2004 to 18.1% in 2009; 22.1% in 2019 to 25.9% in 2024.
In Newport News city, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, reaching 25.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Newport News city, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Newport News city getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 15.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 12.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Newport News city, Virginia.
How Newport News city has changed
Newport News city's population had its largest rise, from 154,351 in 1984 to 167,851 in 1989.
Newport News city's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 183,056
High on the chart: 186,155 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Newport News city, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Newport News city rose by about a fifth to 101,627, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 93,572. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Newport News city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,832 | 2024 $67,970 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Newport News city's history
1881
Newport News was essentially founded by California merchant Collis P. Huntington after Reconstruction following the American Civil War. Wikipedia
1896
Newport News incorporated as independent city in 1896. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in September 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A thunderstorm in May 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Hail in May 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in August 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 186,247, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newport News city, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Newport News city beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Newport News city, one scores higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton city, VA | 90 | 13.9% | 28.2% |
| Newport News city, VA | 85 | 12.6% | 25.9% |
| James City County, VA | 18 | 6.4% | — |
| York County, VA | 13 | 5.3% | — |
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 Newport News city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Newport News city's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 57th 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, Newport News city ranks 22nd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Newport News 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.
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Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Commonwealth Catholic Charities
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Newport News 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.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Newport News city comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.