About one in 14 people in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Spotsylvania County, 7.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Spotsylvania County's score
In Spotsylvania County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.1. The typical household earns $107,892 a year (2024), more than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Spotsylvania 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.
Even so, Spotsylvania County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (27.1%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.1% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 61.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people231.3 · 202582nd percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 30.5 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 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 13.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.0% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$107,892 · 20243rd 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 Spotsylvania County has changed
The number of jobs located in Spotsylvania County had its largest rise, from 17,536 in 1995 to 23,477 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Spotsylvania County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 38,037, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 34,385. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 7.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $46,162 | 2024 $107,892 |
The table uses 3.3% 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 Spotsylvania County's history
1990
A thunderstorm in April 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 140,032, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Spotsylvania County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Spotsylvania County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Spotsylvania County, one scores higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fredericksburg city, VA | 66 | 12.2% | — |
| Caroline County, VA | 46 | 10.4% | 22.7% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 46 | 7.0% | — |
| Louisa County, VA | 42 | 8.3% | 25.0% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 30 | 9.6% | 20.0% |
| Orange County, VA | 26 | 8.5% | 23.9% |
| Stafford County, VA | 26 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
| Hanover County, VA | 7 | 6.1% | 15.2% |
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 Spotsylvania County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Spotsylvania County's poverty rate was 7.0% in 2024, 116th 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, Spotsylvania County ranks 72nd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Spotsylvania 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 Spotsylvania 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.