About one in 19 people in Stafford County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Stafford County, 5.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stafford County's score
In Stafford County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 8.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stafford 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.
Stafford 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.
- 61.3 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 rent20.1% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people152.9 · 202560th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.7% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 31.3 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 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 8.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.4% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.7% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability8.8% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$134,781 · 20240th 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 Stafford 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 Stafford County, 11.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stafford County
Virginia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stafford County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 343% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Stafford County, Virginia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 15.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stafford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.1% in 2011 to 3.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Stafford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.4%
Low on the chart: 2.7% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stafford County, Virginia.
How Stafford County has changed
Stafford County's population had its largest rise, from 89,436 in 1999 to 113,798 in 2004.
Stafford County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 168,919, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 29,776. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stafford County, Virginia.
The number of jobs located in Stafford County had its largest rise, from 16,038 in 1995 to 24,247 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Stafford County grew to about five times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 51,229, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 44,339. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stafford County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.0% | 2024 5.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $44,001 | 2024 $134,781 |
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 Stafford County's history
1757
Aquia Creek sandstone quarried from Government Island for White House and U.S. Capitol. Wikipedia
1999
Hail in April 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in April 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 156,927, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stafford County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stafford County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Stafford County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stafford County ranks 4th of the five; Caroline County is highest, at 22.7%.
| 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% | — |
| Culpeper County, VA | 30 | 9.6% | 20.0% |
| Prince William County, VA | 29 | 6.6% | — |
| Stafford County, VA | 26 | 5.4% | 15.6% |
| King George County, VA | 18 | 6.6% | 16.1% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 11 | 6.6% | 12.5% |
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 Stafford County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Stafford County's poverty rate was 5.4% in 2024, 128th 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, Stafford County ranks 104th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stafford 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 Stafford 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 Stafford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.