About one in five people in Page County, Virginia, has a disability
In Page County, 19.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Page County's score
In Page County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 68.4. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Page 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.
Page County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.0%, fiscal year 2027) and people below the poverty line (12.2%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.3% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.7% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people172.7 · 202567th percentile
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- 54.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,580 · 202459th percentile
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- 42.3 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 rent20.3% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st 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 Page 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 Page County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Page County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Page County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Page County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Page County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.7% in 2019 to 11.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Page County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.6%
High on the chart: 14.3% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Page County, Virginia.
How Page County has changed
Page County's population had its largest rise, from 16,605 in 1969 to 18,395 in 1974.
Page County's population rose 43% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 24,076 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Page County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Page County had its largest rise, from 5,745 in 1990 to 6,535 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Page County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 6,887 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Page County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.3% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,675 | 2024 $63,580 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Page County's history
1831
Page County formed in 1831 from Shenandoah and Rockingham counties. Wikipedia
2003
A flash flood in September 2003 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,042. The 2020 Census counted 23,709, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Page County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Page County beside its neighbors
Page County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Page County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page County, VA | 60 | 12.2% | 30.5% |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 33 | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 30 | 10.3% | 24.4% |
| Warren County, VA | 29 | 9.8% | 20.8% |
| Greene County, VA | 24 | 8.4% | 21.4% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 13 | 8.2% | — |
| Madison County, VA | 9 | 10.3% | 20.7% |
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 Page County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Page County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 62nd 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, Page County ranks 59th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Page 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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Blue Ridge Legal Services
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.
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 Page County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.