Harrisonburg city, Virginia
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Harrisonburg city, Virginia is more distressed than 56% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 30% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Default & Legal.
- 63rd of 133 counties in Virginia on the County Distress Index — 56 · moderate county distress, more distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
- 30% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Poverty rate at 26% — national median 13%, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Subprime credit share at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Labor domain score 38 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Harrisonburg city has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
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), Harrisonburg city's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 58th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Harrisonburg.
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 Harrisonburg city's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Harrisonburg city's value shown alongside VA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Harrisonburg city | VA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 54 · Rank 1,429 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 57th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 6% | 5% | 41st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 27% | 25% | 23% | 64th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 31 · Rank 2,367 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 19% | 22% | 23% | 34th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 84 | 177 | 126 | 28th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 87 · Rank 233 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 76th | 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 | 30% | 20% | 18% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 38 · Rank 2,094 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) | 17% | 20% | 21% | 27th | 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% | 49th | 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 59 · Rank 1,212 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 15% | 17% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 10% | 15% | 16% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 26% | 12% | 13% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 6% | 8% | 70th | 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 Harrisonburg city data.
Draft wire copy 135-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Harrisonburg city is more distressed than 56% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Harrisonburg city scores 56 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 56% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate county distress. Within Virginia, Harrisonburg city ranks 63rd 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Harrisonburg. 30% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
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 Harrisonburg city's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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