About one in five people in Northampton County, Virginia, has a disability
In Northampton County, 19.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Northampton County's score
In Northampton County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 71.3. About one in four children (24.2%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Northampton 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.
Northampton County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.7%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,587 · 202459th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.2% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 55.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people99.8 · 202536th percentile
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- 23.1 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 rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County, 29.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Northampton County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Northampton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Northampton County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Northampton County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2012 low, from 12.7% in 2012 to 15.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Northampton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 14.9%
Low on the chart: 12.7% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Northampton County, Virginia.
How Northampton County has changed
Northampton County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 15,067 in 1979 to 13,844 in 1984.
Northampton County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 15,067 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Northampton County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Northampton County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 5,301 in 2015 to 4,153 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Northampton County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,647 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Northampton County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 31.4% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,795 | 2024 $63,587 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Northampton County's history
1634
Originally established as Accomac Shire in 1634, one of the original eight shires of Virginia. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 18,565. The 2020 Census counted 12,282, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
A thunderstorm in July 2014 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Northampton County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Northampton County beside its neighbors
All one counties that border Northampton County score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accomack County, VA | 63 | 13.1% | 31.8% |
| Northampton County, VA | 53 | 16.8% | 31.6% |
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 Northampton County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Northampton County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 32nd 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, Northampton County ranks 66th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.