Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

Petersburg city had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 133 counties in 2015, at 43%. Falls Church city had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 20.9% and the figure for Virginia was 15%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Median20.9133 counties
Virginia15History

Map of counties, 2015

Accomack County: 31 %Albemarle County: 9.6 %Alleghany County: 24 %Amelia County: 17 %Amherst County: 20.6 %Appomattox County: 20.9 %Arlington County: 8.8 %Augusta County: 12.9 %Bath County: 14.6 %Bedford County: 12.8 %Bland County: 17.8 %Botetourt County: 9.3 %Brunswick County: 29.2 %Buchanan County: 33.6 %Buckingham County: 27.5 %Campbell County: 16.3 %Caroline County: 17.2 %Carroll County: 24.3 %Charles City County: 19.5 %Charlotte County: 28.4 %Chesterfield County: 9.5 %Clarke County: 10.4 %Craig County: 21.7 %Culpeper County: 14.9 %Cumberland County: 30.8 %Dickenson County: 33 %Dinwiddie County: 17.5 %Essex County: 26.7 %Fairfax County: 7.5 %Fauquier County: 8.3 %Floyd County: 18.2 %Fluvanna County: 10.4 %Franklin County: 19.1 %Frederick County: 10.7 %Giles County: 17.6 %Gloucester County: 14.7 %Goochland County: 9.8 %Grayson County: 29.4 %Greene County: 13.9 %Greensville County: 28.7 %Halifax County: 25.6 %Hanover County: 7.1 %Henrico County: 13 %Henry County: 30.5 %Highland County: 24.2 %Isle of Wight County: 13.1 %James City County: 10.2 %King and Queen County: 20.5 %King George County: 9.6 %King William County: 12.2 %Lancaster County: 26.2 %Lee County: 36.3 %Loudoun County: 4 %Louisa County: 16.7 %Lunenburg County: 29 %Madison County: 18.2 %Mathews County: 17.9 %Mecklenburg County: 27.5 %Middlesex County: 25.1 %Montgomery County: 15.2 %Nelson County: 23.2 %New Kent County: 10.2 %Northampton County: 33.7 %Northumberland County: 29 %Nottoway County: 28.7 %Orange County: 15.2 %Page County: 23.2 %Patrick County: 25.5 %Pittsylvania County: 25.6 %Powhatan County: 8.5 %Prince Edward County: 29.1 %Prince George County: 12.3 %Prince William County: 9 %Pulaski County: 22.1 %Rappahannock County: 15.6 %Richmond County: 23 %Roanoke County: 9.4 %Rockbridge County: 18.6 %Rockingham County: 14 %Russell County: 28.2 %Scott County: 24.5 %Shenandoah County: 17.7 %Smyth County: 27.6 %Southampton County: 20.9 %Spotsylvania County: 10.9 %Stafford County: 7.1 %Surry County: 20 %Sussex County: 29 %Tazewell County: 24.1 %Warren County: 15.1 %Washington County: 22.7 %Westmoreland County: 28.9 %Wise County: 30.9 %Wythe County: 21.3 %York County: 6.8 %Alexandria city: 14.5 %Bristol city: 33.4 %Buena Vista city: 24.6 %Charlottesville city: 22.6 %Chesapeake city: 13.9 %Colonial Heights city: 16.7 %Covington city: 28.6 %Danville city: 39.4 %Emporia city: 38.3 %Fairfax city: 7.8 %Falls Church city: 3.3 %Franklin city: 35.2 %Fredericksburg city: 22.8 %Galax city: 36.5 %Hampton city: 23.5 %Harrisonburg city: 23.7 %Hopewell city: 33.7 %Lexington city: 13.4 %Lynchburg city: 28.4 %Manassas city: 15.4 %Manassas Park city: 12.7 %Martinsville city: 37.1 %Newport News city: 25.7 %Norfolk city: 29.6 %Norton city: 37.5 %Petersburg city: 43 %Poquoson city: 6.6 %Portsmouth city: 30.5 %Radford city: 21.5 %Richmond city: 36.3 %Roanoke city: 32.9 %Salem city: 13.8 %Staunton city: 23 %Suffolk city: 18 %Virginia Beach city: 12.4 %Waynesboro city: 26.2 %Williamsburg city: 25.1 %Winchester city: 25.6 %
  • Under 11
  • 11 to 15
  • 15 to 21
  • 21 to 26
  • 26 to 29
  • 29 and over
%, 2015. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Petersburg city: 43 %Petersburg city43Danville city: 39.4 %Danville city39.4Emporia city: 38.3 %Emporia city38.3Norton city: 37.5 %Norton city37.5Martinsville city: 37.1 %Martinsville city37.1Galax city: 36.5 %Galax city36.5Lee County: 36.3 %Lee County36.3Richmond city: 36.3 %Richmond city36.3Franklin city: 35.2 %Franklin city35.2Hopewell city: 33.7 %Hopewell city33.7Northampton County: 33.7 %Northampton County33.7Buchanan County: 33.6 %Buchanan County33.6Bristol city: 33.4 %Bristol city33.4Dickenson County: 33 %Dickenson County33Roanoke city: 32.9 %Roanoke city32.9Accomack County: 31 %Accomack County31Wise County: 30.9 %Wise County30.9Cumberland County: 30.8 %Cumberland County30.8Henry County: 30.5 %Henry County30.5Portsmouth city: 30.5 %Portsmouth city30.5Norfolk city: 29.6 %Norfolk city29.6Grayson County: 29.4 %Grayson County29.4Brunswick County: 29.2 %Brunswick County29.2Prince Edward County: 29.1 %Prince Edward County29.1Lunenburg County: 29 %Lunenburg County29Northumberland County: 29 %Northumberland County29Sussex County: 29 %Sussex County29Westmoreland County: 28.9 %Westmoreland County28.9Greensville County: 28.7 %Greensville County28.7Nottoway County: 28.7 %Nottoway County28.7Covington city: 28.6 %Covington city28.6Charlotte County: 28.4 %Charlotte County28.4Lynchburg city: 28.4 %Lynchburg city28.4Russell County: 28.2 %Russell County28.2Smyth County: 27.6 %Smyth County27.6Buckingham County: 27.5 %Buckingham County27.5Mecklenburg County: 27.5 %Mecklenburg County27.5Essex County: 26.7 %Essex County26.7Lancaster County: 26.2 %Lancaster County26.2Waynesboro city: 26.2 %Waynesboro city26.2Petersburg city: 43 %Petersburg city43Danville city: 39.4 %Danville city39.4Emporia city: 38.3 %Emporia city38.3Norton city: 37.5 %Norton city37.5Martinsville city: 37.1 %Martinsville city37.1Galax city: 36.5 %Galax city36.5Lee County: 36.3 %Lee County36.3Richmond city: 36.3 %Richmond city36.3Franklin city: 35.2 %Franklin city35.2Hopewell city: 33.7 %Hopewell city33.7Northampton County: 33.7 %Northampton County33.7Buchanan County: 33.6 %Buchanan County33.6Bristol city: 33.4 %Bristol city33.4Dickenson County: 33 %Dickenson County33Roanoke city: 32.9 %Roanoke city32.9Accomack County: 31 %Accomack County31Wise County: 30.9 %Wise County30.9Cumberland County: 30.8 %Cumberland County30.8Henry County: 30.5 %Henry County30.5Portsmouth city: 30.5 %Portsmouth city30.5Norfolk city: 29.6 %Norfolk city29.6Grayson County: 29.4 %Grayson County29.4Brunswick County: 29.2 %Brunswick County29.2Prince Edward County: 29.1 %Prince Edward County29.1Lunenburg County: 29 %Lunenburg County29Northumberland County: 29 %Northumberland County29Sussex County: 29 %Sussex County29Westmoreland County: 28.9 %Westmoreland County28.9Greensville County: 28.7 %Greensville County28.7Nottoway County: 28.7 %Nottoway County28.7Covington city: 28.6 %Covington city28.6Charlotte County: 28.4 %Charlotte County28.4Lynchburg city: 28.4 %Lynchburg city28.4Russell County: 28.2 %Russell County28.2Smyth County: 27.6 %Smyth County27.6Buckingham County: 27.5 %Buckingham County27.5Mecklenburg County: 27.5 %Mecklenburg County27.5Essex County: 26.7 %Essex County26.7Lancaster County: 26.2 %Lancaster County26.2Waynesboro city: 26.2 %Waynesboro city26.2
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Petersburg city43+5.5 pts
2Danville city39.4+2.8 pts
3Emporia city38.3-3.5 pts
4Norton city37.5+4.6 pts
5Martinsville city37.1+1.7 pts
6Galax city36.5+1.7 pts
7Lee County36.3+4.4 pts
7Richmond city36.3-2.6 pts
9Franklin city35.2+0.5 pts
10Hopewell city33.7+2.4 pts
10Northampton County33.7+0.3 pts
12Buchanan County33.6+2.3 pts
13Bristol city33.4-1.5 pts
14Dickenson County33+5.9 pts
15Roanoke city32.9-0.1 pts
16Accomack County31+0.1 pts
17Wise County30.9+2 pts
18Cumberland County30.8+1.5 pts
19Henry County30.5-0.8 pts
19Portsmouth city30.5+2.2 pts
21Norfolk city29.6-2.1 pts
22Grayson County29.4+0.4 pts
23Brunswick County29.2-2.3 pts
24Prince Edward County29.1-1 pts
25Lunenburg County29+0.3 pts
25Northumberland County29-1.4 pts
25Sussex County29-1.5 pts
28Westmoreland County28.9+1.4 pts
29Greensville County28.7+1.5 pts
29Nottoway County28.7-2.2 pts
31Covington city28.6+2.1 pts
32Charlotte County28.4-2 pts
32Lynchburg city28.4-3.3 pts
34Russell County28.2+3.6 pts
35Smyth County27.6+0.7 pts
36Buckingham County27.5+0.4 pts
36Mecklenburg County27.5-3.1 pts
38Essex County26.7+2.1 pts
39Lancaster County26.2-0.2 pts
39Waynesboro city26.2+1.3 pts
41Newport News city25.7-0.1 pts
42Halifax County25.6+0.3 pts
42Pittsylvania County25.6+5.5 pts
42Winchester city25.6+3.9 pts
45Patrick County25.5-6.3 pts
46Middlesex County25.1-0.9 pts
46Williamsburg city25.1+0.7 pts
48Buena Vista city24.6-0.6 pts
49Scott County24.5-1.6 pts
50Carroll County24.3-0.7 pts
51Highland County24.2+2.4 pts
52Tazewell County24.1-0.6 pts
53Alleghany County24+2.1 pts
54Harrisonburg city23.7+0.1 pts
55Hampton city23.5+1.9 pts
56Nelson County23.2+1.7 pts
56Page County23.2-0.6 pts
58Richmond County23-0.9 pts
58Staunton city23-2.6 pts
60Fredericksburg city22.8-0.6 pts
61Washington County22.7+2 pts
62Charlottesville city22.6-1.8 pts
63Pulaski County22.10 pts
64Craig County21.7+0.7 pts
65Radford city21.5+0.9 pts
66Wythe County21.3-0.3 pts
67Appomattox County20.9-1 pts
67Southampton County20.9-1.5 pts
69Amherst County20.6+0.1 pts
70King and Queen County20.5-2.4 pts
71Surry County20-0.1 pts
72Charles City County19.5+0.4 pts
73Franklin County19.1-4.8 pts
74Rockbridge County18.6+0.1 pts
75Floyd County18.2-1.8 pts
75Madison County18.2-0.1 pts
77Suffolk city18-2.2 pts
78Mathews County17.9-0.1 pts
79Bland County17.8+0.4 pts
80Shenandoah County17.7+0.1 pts
81Giles County17.6-0.6 pts
82Dinwiddie County17.5-0.2 pts
83Caroline County17.2-0.1 pts
84Amelia County17-1.9 pts
85Colonial Heights city16.7-2 pts
85Louisa County16.7-0.6 pts
87Campbell County16.3-3.1 pts
88Rappahannock County15.6-1 pts
89Manassas city15.4-1 pts
90Montgomery County15.2-0.8 pts
90Orange County15.2-0.5 pts
92Warren County15.1-0.7 pts
93Culpeper County14.9-0.4 pts
94Gloucester County14.7-0.5 pts
95Bath County14.6-1 pts
96Alexandria city14.5-1.3 pts
97Rockingham County14-2.3 pts
98Chesapeake city13.9-0.1 pts
98Greene County13.9+0.1 pts
100Salem city13.8-0.1 pts
101Lexington city13.4-3.1 pts
102Isle of Wight County13.1-0.6 pts
103Henrico County13-4.2 pts
104Augusta County12.9-0.9 pts
105Bedford County12.8-0.8 pts
106Manassas Park city12.7-2 pts
107Virginia Beach city12.40 pts
108Prince George County12.3-0.7 pts
109King William County12.2-1.2 pts
110Spotsylvania County10.9-1.9 pts
111Frederick County10.7-0.8 pts
112Clarke County10.4-0.2 pts
112Fluvanna County10.4-0.3 pts
114James City County10.2-1.3 pts
114New Kent County10.2+0.5 pts
116Goochland County9.8-0.6 pts
117Albemarle County9.6-0.7 pts
117King George County9.6-0.9 pts
119Chesterfield County9.5-1.7 pts
120Roanoke County9.4-1.1 pts
121Botetourt County9.3-1.3 pts
122Prince William County9-1.4 pts
123Arlington County8.8-2.2 pts
124Powhatan County8.5-0.6 pts
125Fauquier County8.3-1.1 pts
126Fairfax city7.8-0.1 pts
127Fairfax County7.5-1.2 pts
128Hanover County7.1-0.8 pts
128Stafford County7.1-0.5 pts
130York County6.8-0.2 pts
131Poquoson city6.6-0.3 pts
132Loudoun County4-0.4 pts
133Falls Church city3.30 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/virginia-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Petersburg city, with 43% in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Falls Church city, with 3.3% in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings