About one in 14 people in Roanoke County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Roanoke County, 7.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roanoke County's score
In Roanoke County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 43.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Roanoke 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.
Roanoke County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 43.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.4% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168 · 202565th percentile
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- 41.5 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.1% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 23.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.1% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.4% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,809 · 202413th 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.
How Roanoke County has changed
The number of jobs located in Roanoke County rose by about half to 37,434, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 29,908. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Roanoke County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.7% | 2024 7.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $41,791 | 2024 $85,809 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Roanoke County's history
1838
Roanoke County established by act of Virginia Legislature on March 30, 1838, from Botetourt County. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in March 2011 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in August 2012 did $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in May 2018 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 96,929, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Roanoke County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Roanoke County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Roanoke County, six score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke city, VA | 81 | 16.2% | 28.6% |
| Salem city, VA | 38 | 9.6% | — |
| Franklin County, VA | 37 | 12.3% | 26.9% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 34 | 20.6% | — |
| Craig County, VA | 34 | 10.5% | 30.0% |
| Bedford County, VA | 26 | 8.9% | 24.9% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 16 | 7.1% | — |
| Floyd County, VA | 15 | 11.4% | 29.2% |
| Botetourt County, VA | 5 | 5.2% | 21.9% |
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 Roanoke County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Roanoke County's poverty rate was 7.1% in 2024, 113th 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, Roanoke County ranks 115th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roanoke 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.
Download the CSV for Roanoke 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.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.