About one in three people in Norton city, Virginia, has a disability

In Norton city, 33.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
11th
of 133 counties in Virginia
91score /100

More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.

What drives Norton city's score

In Norton city, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.1. About three in ten renters (30.4%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 84.8.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Norton 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.

Norton city does better than most counties on one measure: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.8%, August 2025).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    86.1 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      30.4% · 2020 to 2024
      top 5%
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      23.8% · fiscal year 2027
      77th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    84.8 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      17.5% · 2024
      78th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      27.6% · 2024
      87th percentile
    • People with a disability
      33.7% · 2020 to 2024
      top 5%
    • People without health insurance
      10.3% · 2020 to 2024
      68th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $47,508 · 2024
      94th percentile

  • Jobs

    81.4 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      67th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      43.5% · 2020 to 2024
      top 5%

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    72.9 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      36.2% · August 2025
      88th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      143.2 · 2025
      57th percentile

  • Late payments

    56.9 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      5.7% · August 2025
      53rd percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      3.8% · August 2025
      28th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      54.1% · second quarter of 2026
      88th 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.

How Norton city has changed

The number of jobs located in Norton city had its largest drop, from 3,714 in 2015 to 3,178 in 2020.

The number of jobs located in Norton city was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a quarter

High on the chart: 4,155 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Norton city, Virginia.

02,5005,000 3,2403,167 19901995200020052010201520202025 02,5005,000 3,2403,167 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/norton-city-va/
Download data (CSV)
MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 9.6% 2025 4.0% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 21.1% 2024 17.5% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1993 $20,962 2024 $47,508 Census SAIPE

The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Norton city's history

  1. 1894

    Norton was founded in 1894. Wikipedia

  2. 1960

    The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 4,996. The 2020 Census counted 3,687, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau

  3. Since 1977

    15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Norton city, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA

Norton city beside its neighbors

Norton city scores higher than all one counties that border it.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Norton city, VA 91 11th of 133 17.5% —
Wise County, VA 85 20th of 133 19.5% —

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: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.

Is Norton city the poorest county in Virginia?

No, Norton city's poverty rate was 17.5% in 2024, 28th 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, Norton city ranks 11th of 133 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Norton 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.

Virginia foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Norton city · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Norton city, Virginia, scores 91 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 91% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/norton-city-va/

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.