In Portsmouth city, Virginia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Portsmouth city, 32.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Portsmouth city's score
In Portsmouth city, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.9. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 92.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Portsmouth 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.
Portsmouth city does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (7.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.9 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 rent26.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.4% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 92.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.6% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people365.7 · 202594th percentile
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- 91.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.9% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.2% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 64.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,783 · 202465th 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Portsmouth city
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Portsmouth city, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Portsmouth city, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.9%; 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 Portsmouth city getting SNAP food aid doubled to 19.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 15.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Portsmouth city, Virginia.
How Portsmouth city has changed
Portsmouth city's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 96,482, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 125,300 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Portsmouth city, Virginia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Portsmouth city fell 7% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 46,368 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Portsmouth city, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,801 | 2024 $61,783 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Portsmouth city's history
1752
Portsmouth founded by politician William Crawford in 1752. Wikipedia
1855
Yellow fever outbreak in 1855 spread to Norfolk. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 114,773. The 2020 Census counted 97,915, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in November 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Portsmouth city, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Portsmouth city beside its neighbors
Portsmouth city scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Portsmouth city gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth city, VA | 96 | 15.2% | 31.9% |
| Norfolk city, VA | 88 | 15.3% | 27.1% |
| Suffolk city, VA | 55 | 8.3% | 21.9% |
| Chesapeake city, VA | 48 | 10.5% | 19.6% |
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 Portsmouth city the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Portsmouth city's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 43rd 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, Portsmouth city ranks 8th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Portsmouth 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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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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.