About one in five people in Southampton County, Virginia, has a disability
In Southampton County, 19.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Southampton County's score
In Southampton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 70.0. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 65.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Southampton 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.
Southampton County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.5% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
-
- 65.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.6% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people178 · 202569th percentile
-
- 48.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.9% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
-
- 44.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,013 · 202440th percentile
-
- 27.5 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 rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Southampton County has changed
The number of jobs located in Southampton County had its largest drop, from 4,261 in 2005 to 3,762 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Southampton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 4,476 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Southampton County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.6% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $29,170 | 2024 $70,013 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Southampton County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 27,555. The 2020 Census counted 17,996, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in September 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in August 2020 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1993
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Southampton County. FEMA
Southampton County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Southampton County, in Virginia and North Carolina, seven score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin city, VA | 98 | 19.7% | — |
| Northampton County, NC | 95 | 22.5% | 40.9% |
| Hertford County, NC | 93 | 22.9% | 39.6% |
| Greensville County, VA | 90 | 26.2% | — |
| Sussex County, VA | 87 | 21.9% | 39.0% |
| Gates County, NC | 70 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Suffolk city, VA | 55 | 8.3% | 21.9% |
| Southampton County, VA | 52 | 12.7% | — |
| Surry County, VA | 39 | 11.7% | 29.2% |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 32 | 8.2% | 21.1% |
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 Southampton County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Southampton County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 55th 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, Southampton County ranks 67th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Southampton 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.
-
Virginia Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
-
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 Southampton 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.