About three in ten people in Russell County, Virginia, have a disability
In Russell County, 31.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Russell County's score
In Russell County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.9. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (35.3%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Russell 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.
Russell County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability31.6% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,467 · 202487th percentile
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- 63.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.2% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people227.7 · 202581st percentile
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- 59.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 45.9 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th 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 Russell 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 Russell County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Russell County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Russell County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 41.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Russell County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Russell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 19.2% in 2023 to 21.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Russell County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 13.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Russell County, Virginia.
How Russell County has changed
Russell County's population had its largest rise, from 26,442 in 1974 to 31,384 in 1979.
Russell County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 31,536 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Russell County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Russell County had its largest rise, from 6,370 in 1990 to 7,827 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Russell County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 8,265 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Russell County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.5% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,886 | 2024 $52,467 |
The table uses 4.6% 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 Russell County's history
1786
Russell County established on January 2, 1786, from Washington County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 31,761. The 2020 Census counted 25,781, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Russell County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Russell County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Russell County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Russell County ranks 3rd of the six; Dickenson County is highest, at 47.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, VA | 96 | 23.5% | 44.5% |
| Tazewell County, VA | 88 | 17.4% | 37.1% |
| Wise County, VA | 85 | 19.5% | — |
| Scott County, VA | 81 | 20.1% | 40.5% |
| Smyth County, VA | 77 | 17.5% | 36.5% |
| Russell County, VA | 74 | 15.9% | 41.1% |
| Dickenson County, VA | 72 | 19.9% | 47.2% |
| Washington County, VA | 46 | 11.7% | — |
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 Russell County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Russell County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 38th 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, Russell County ranks 37th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Russell 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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Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society
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 Russell 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 Russell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.