About one in four people in Wise County, Virginia, has a disability
In Wise County, 27.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wise County's score
In Wise County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.0. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (34.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 78.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wise 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.
Wise County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.2%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (6.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.0 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 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
-
- 78.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.5% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people196.2 · 202573rd percentile
-
- 76.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.5% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability27.5% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,925 · 202484th percentile
-
- 73.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.0% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
-
- 43.1 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 income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd 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 Wise County has changed
The number of jobs located in Wise County had its largest drop, from 15,444 in 2010 to 12,246 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Wise County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 15,444 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wise County, Virginia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.7% | 2024 19.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $22,865 | 2024 $53,925 |
The table uses 4.4% 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 Wise County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 56,336. The 2020 Census counted 36,130, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A flash flood in March 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in March 2008 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wise County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wise County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Wise County, in Virginia and Kentucky, five score higher.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan County, KY | 97 | 29.4% | 59.0% |
| Lee County, VA | 96 | 26.0% | 45.8% |
| Pike County, KY | 95 | 22.4% | 44.9% |
| Norton city, VA | 91 | 17.5% | — |
| Letcher County, KY | 86 | 25.3% | 57.8% |
| Wise County, VA | 85 | 19.5% | — |
| Scott County, VA | 81 | 20.1% | 40.5% |
| Russell County, VA | 74 | 15.9% | 41.1% |
| Dickenson County, VA | 72 | 19.9% | 47.2% |
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 Wise County the poorest county in Virginia?
No, Wise County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, 19th 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, Wise County ranks 20th of 133 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wise 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.
-
Southwest 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.
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.