About one in nine people in Washington County, Virginia, lives below the poverty line
In Washington County, 11.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 53.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 33.8. About one in eight renters (11.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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, Washington County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.9% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people151.7 · 202560th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.8% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability21.6% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,570 · 202459th percentile
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- 48.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.9% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 33.8 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 rent11.9% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th 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 Washington County has changed
The number of jobs located in Washington County rose by about a third to 21,147, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 21,147. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.4% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $26,245 | 2024 $63,570 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Washington County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in August 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 54,876. The 2020 Census counted 53,935, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $3 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $105 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Washington County, in Virginia and Tennessee, score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol city, VA | 94 | 18.6% | — |
| Scott County, VA | 81 | 20.1% | 40.5% |
| Johnson County, TN | 78 | 20.9% | 39.0% |
| Smyth County, VA | 77 | 17.5% | 36.5% |
| Russell County, VA | 74 | 15.9% | 41.1% |
| Grayson County, VA | 65 | 17.6% | 38.5% |
| Sullivan County, TN | 64 | 15.7% | 27.8% |
| 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: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Washington County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 68th 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, Washington County ranks 73rd of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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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People Incorporated of Virginia
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Washington 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.