Buena Vista city, Virginia
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Buena Vista city, Virginia is more distressed than 69% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Labor.
- 41st of 133 counties in Virginia on the County Distress Index — 69 · moderate-high county distress, more distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
- 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 92nd percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 168 — national median 126, ranked at the 66th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Disability rate at 21% — national median 16%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 92nd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Buena Vista city has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024), Buena Vista city's uninsured rate indicator is at the 11th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 61st percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Buena Vista.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Subprime credit population
Debt in collections
The Indicators Behind Buena Vista city's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Buena Vista city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Buena Vista city | VA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 71 · Rank 823 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 38th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 92nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 25% | 23% | 83rd | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 66 · Rank 904 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 27% | 22% | 23% | 65th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 168 | 177 | 126 | 66th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 60 · Rank 1,055 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 64th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 19% | 20% | 18% | 56th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 50 · Rank 1,571 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 22% | 20% | 21% | 60th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 4% | 4% | 4% | 40th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 61 · Rank 1,164 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 19% | 15% | 17% | 61st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 15% | 16% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 12% | 13% | 68th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 11th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Buena Vista city data.
Draft wire copy 137-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BUENA VISTA, Va. — Buena Vista city is more distressed than 69% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Buena Vista city scores 69 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 69% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-high county distress. Within Virginia, Buena Vista city ranks 41st of 133 counties and independent cities.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Buena Vista. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Buena Vista city's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Buena Vista city's distress score?
How does Buena Vista city compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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