About one in four people in Radford city, Virginia, lives below the poverty line

In Radford city, 27.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
35th
of 133 counties in Virginia
77score /100

More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.

What drives Radford city's score

In Radford city, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.0. About one in three renters (32.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 76.7.

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

Radford city does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024).

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

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    95.0 of 100

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

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      32.0% · 2020 to 2024
      top 5%
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      30.2% · fiscal year 2027
      top 5%

  • Jobs

    76.7 of 100

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

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      77th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      25.5% · 2020 to 2024
      76th percentile

  • Late payments

    65.8 of 100

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

    • People with a credit card behind
      8.4% · August 2025
      87th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      5.3% · August 2025
      52nd percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      42.5% · second quarter of 2026
      58th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    51.1 of 100

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

    • People below the poverty line
      27.2% · 2024
      top 5%
    • Children below the poverty line
      15.5% · 2024
      41st percentile
    • People with a disability
      12.1% · 2020 to 2024
      15th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      4.9% · 2020 to 2024
      17th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $53,268 · 2024
      85th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    41.6 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      23.9% · August 2025
      53rd percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      88.4 · 2025
      30th 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 Radford city has changed

The number of jobs located in Radford city had its largest drop, from 8,384 in 2000 to 6,556 in 2005.

The number of jobs located in Radford city was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a third

High on the chart: 8,976 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Radford city, Virginia.

04,5009,000 7,9106,190 19901995200020052010201520202025 04,5009,000 7,9106,190 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/radford-city-va/
Download data (CSV)
MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 11.7% 2025 4.5% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 13.1% 2024 27.2% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1993 $26,182 2024 $53,268 Census SAIPE

The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Radford city's history

  1. 1891

    The original name for Radford was Lovely Mount but the name was changed in 1891 to Radford. Wikipedia

  2. 1940

    Worst river flooding in Radford's recorded history occurred on August 14, 1940. Wikipedia

  3. 1940

    Radford Army Ammunition Plant built in 1940-1941. Wikipedia

  4. 2010

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 16,408. The 2020 Census counted 16,070, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau

  5. Since 1972

    17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Radford city, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA

Radford city beside its neighbors

Radford city scores higher than all two counties that border it.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Radford city, VA 77 35th of 133 27.2% —
Pulaski County, VA 69 41st of 133 13.3% 30.7%
Montgomery County, VA 34 92nd of 133 20.6% —

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

Is Radford city the poorest county in Virginia?

Yes, Radford city's poverty rate was 27.2% in 2024, the highest of 133 counties in Virginia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Radford city ranks 35th of 133 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Radford 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 Radford city · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Radford city, Virginia, scores 77 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 77% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/virginia/radford-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.