About one in six people in Richmond County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Richmond County, 16.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Richmond County's score
In Richmond County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 77.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 304.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Richmond 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.
Richmond County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (14.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people304.9 · 202591st percentile
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- 72.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,040 · 202461st percentile
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- 55.1 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Richmond County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Richmond County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Richmond County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Richmond County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 14.5% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Richmond County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 10.5%
Low on the chart: 5.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Richmond County, Virginia.
How Richmond County has changed
Richmond County's population had its largest rise, from 7,233 in 1989 to 8,268 in 1994.
Richmond County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 9,251 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Richmond County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Richmond County had its largest drop, from 3,350 in 2010 to 2,795 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Richmond County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 3,350 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Richmond County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,461 | 2024 $63,040 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Richmond County's history
1692
Richmond County formed in 1692 when first Rappahannock County was divided to form Richmond and Essex counties. Wikipedia
1812
British raids during War of 1812, residents rallied in defense. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 9,254. The 2020 Census counted 8,923, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A tornado in February 2016 did $3.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Richmond County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Richmond County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Richmond County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Richmond County ranks 3rd of the five; Essex County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VA | 84 | 11.7% | 32.6% |
| Westmoreland County, VA | 79 | 13.8% | 30.2% |
| Northumberland County, VA | 67 | 12.2% | 31.9% |
| Richmond County, VA | 65 | 16.7% | 31.4% |
| Lancaster County, VA | 53 | 11.0% | 24.6% |
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 Richmond County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Richmond County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 33rd 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, Richmond County ranks 49th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Richmond 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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Legal Services of Northern 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 Richmond County · 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 Richmond County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.