Petersburg city, Virginia
4× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 77.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Petersburg city, Virginia ranks third most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 567 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 3rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 92.5 · extreme county distress, 1st in Virginia.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 567 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 99th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 43% — national median 21%, ranked at the 100th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 48% — national median 23%, ranked at the 100th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 23-point drop to Prince George County marks where the Virginia distress corridor ends.
Petersburg city has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 32% of children under 18 in Petersburg city live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Subprime credit population
Debt in collections
The Indicators Behind Petersburg city's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Petersburg city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Petersburg city | VA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 97 · Rank 21 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 13% | 6% | 5% | 98th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 6% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 48% | 25% | 23% | 100th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 99 · Rank 3 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 45% | 22% | 23% | 98th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 567 | 177 | 126 | 99th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 98 · Rank 15 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 43% | 22% | 21% | 100th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 19% | 18% | 96th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 86 · Rank 423 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 86th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 83 · Rank 270 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 32% | 18% | 18% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 15% | 16% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 13% | 14% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 7% | 8% | 51st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Petersburg city data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 134-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PETERSBURG, Va. — Petersburg city ranks third among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 92.5 out of 100 gives Petersburg city an extreme county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 2 rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Petersburg city ranks first of 133 counties and independent cities.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Petersburg. A bankruptcy filing rate of 567 — more than double the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Petersburg city's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Petersburg city's distress score?
How does Petersburg city compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Petersburg city resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →