#63 Top 100 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Danville city, Virginia

98 · extreme county distress more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties · 63rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 41,837 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
10% Danville residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 48 words · paste-ready

Danville city, Virginia ranks 63rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 10% 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 Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 63rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 98 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; 4th in Virginia.
  • 10% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 94th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
  • Debt in collections at 37% — national median 23%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Child poverty rate at 35% — national median 17%, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
County Distress Index cluster map. Danville city, Virginia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Danville city and its 2 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Danville city ranks 63rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 19 words

Danville city has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 37 words

The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Reporting hook
Child poverty is the reporting lead

According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 35% of children under 18 in Danville city live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Sep 22, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

5.5% -3.8 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

22.9% +6.7 percentage points since 1989
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

36.1% -1.14 percentage points since 2014 Q2
Urban Institute 2020 to 2024

Debt in collections

37.5% -12.14 percentage points since 2020

The Indicators Behind Danville city's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Danville city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Danville city's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Danville city VA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 93 · Rank 133 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 10% 6% 5% 93rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 10% 6% 5% 96th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 36% 25% 23% 90th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 368 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 37% 22% 23% 90th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 194 177 126 73rd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 78 · Rank 474 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 24% 22% 21% 78th 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 23% 20% 18% 78th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 89 · Rank 187 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) 28% 20% 21% 84th 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) 6% 4% 4% 94th 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 81 · Rank 345 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 35% 15% 17% 97th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 18% 15% 16% 68th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 23% 12% 13% 94th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 8% 6% 8% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Compiled September 30, 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2024, SAIPE 2024, Business Formation Statistics 2025), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS August 2026, QCEW 2025), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2027).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 93
Weight 20% · Rank 133 of 3,144
Labor 89
Weight 20% · Rank 187 of 3,144
Default & Legal 82
Weight 20% · Rank 368 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 81
Weight 20% · Rank 345 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 78
Weight 20% · Rank 474 of 3,144

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 Danville city data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 143-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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DANVILLE, Va. — Danville city ranks 63rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Danville city scores 98 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 62 counties rank more distressed. Within Virginia, Danville city ranks fourth 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 Danville. 10% 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Danville city's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Danville city scores 98 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties. Its score label is extreme county distress. It ranks 63rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 4th of 133 Virginia counties and independent cities. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Danville city's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 93. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 96th percentile nationally.

How does Danville city compare to its neighbors?

Danville city's neighbors span 1 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Caswell County, NC (62.00, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Pittsylvania County (62.00, moderate-high county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI averages 14 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer, then ranks that average against every other county, so the score is the share of U.S. counties a county is more distressed than. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Ross Kilburn is the former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states. He founded Seattle Short Sales, wrote Short Sale Your Home, and worked as a mortgage loan originator and real estate agent. He founded American Default Research in 2026.

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