Counties in Virginia by poverty rate

Radford city had the highest poverty rate of 133 counties in 2017, at 28.6%. Loudoun County had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 12.9% and the figure for Virginia was 10.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest28.6Radford city
Median12.9133 counties
Virginia10.7History

Top 40 counties, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

Radford cityRadford city: 28.6 %28.6Lee CountyLee County: 28.2 %28.2Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 27.9 %27.9Dickenson CountyDickenson County: 25 %25Lexington cityLexington city: 24.5 %24.5Danville cityDanville city: 24.4 %24.4Richmond cityRichmond city: 24 %24Greensville CountyGreensville County: 23.9 %23.9Emporia cityEmporia city: 23.4 %23.4Prince Edward CountyPrince Edward County: 23.4 %23.4Harrisonburg cityHarrisonburg city: 23.3 %23.3Wise CountyWise County: 23.3 %23.3Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 23 %23Martinsville cityMartinsville city: 22.5 %22.5Williamsburg cityWilliamsburg city: 22.5 %22.5Sussex CountySussex County: 22.4 %22.4Norton cityNorton city: 22.3 %22.3Nottoway CountyNottoway County: 22.1 %22.1Petersburg cityPetersburg city: 21.8 %21.8Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 21.5 %21.5Galax cityGalax city: 21.5 %21.5Norfolk cityNorfolk city: 20.9 %20.9Franklin cityFranklin city: 20.8 %20.8Lunenburg CountyLunenburg County: 20.5 %20.5Charlottesville cityCharlottesville city: 20.3 %20.3Russell CountyRussell County: 20.2 %20.2Hopewell cityHopewell city: 19.9 %19.9Bristol cityBristol city: 19.3 %19.3Roanoke cityRoanoke city: 19.3 %19.3Grayson CountyGrayson County: 19.1 %19.1Lynchburg cityLynchburg city: 18.8 %18.8Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 18.6 %18.6Portsmouth cityPortsmouth city: 18.5 %18.5Richmond CountyRichmond County: 18.4 %18.4Tazewell CountyTazewell County: 18.1 %18.1Halifax CountyHalifax County: 17.9 %17.9Accomack CountyAccomack County: 17.8 %17.8Smyth CountySmyth County: 17.7 %17.7Scott CountyScott County: 17.6 %17.6Buckingham CountyBuckingham County: 17.5 %17.5
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Radford city28.6+1.4 pts
2Lee County28.2-1.7 pts
3Buchanan County27.9+2.8 pts
4Dickenson County25-0.6 pts
5Lexington city24.5+2.3 pts
6Danville city24.4+2.1 pts
7Richmond city24-2.2 pts
8Greensville County23.9-1.5 pts
9Emporia city23.4+0.2 pts
9Prince Edward County23.4+0.8 pts
11Harrisonburg city23.3-5.1 pts
11Wise County23.3-0.2 pts
13Montgomery County23+2.7 pts
14Martinsville city22.5-0.7 pts
14Williamsburg city22.5+1.4 pts
16Sussex County22.4-0.7 pts
17Norton city22.3-0.7 pts
18Nottoway County22.1-0.8 pts
19Petersburg city21.8-3.4 pts
20Brunswick County21.5-1.3 pts
20Galax city21.5+1 pts
22Norfolk city20.9-0.4 pts
23Franklin city20.8+2.6 pts
24Lunenburg County20.5+0.7 pts
25Charlottesville city20.3-2.5 pts
26Russell County20.2+3.3 pts
27Hopewell city19.9-0.8 pts
28Bristol city19.3-4.3 pts
28Roanoke city19.3-3 pts
30Grayson County19.1+1.7 pts
31Lynchburg city18.8+1 pts
32Northampton County18.6-1.7 pts
33Portsmouth city18.5+0.3 pts
34Richmond County18.4-0.9 pts
35Tazewell County18.1+0.1 pts
36Halifax County17.9-0.8 pts
37Accomack County17.8-2.2 pts
38Smyth County17.7-0.4 pts
39Scott County17.6-1.9 pts
40Buckingham County17.5-0.1 pts
40Mecklenburg County17.5+1.6 pts
42Charlotte County17.4-3.4 pts
43Newport News city17.2+2.5 pts
44Carroll County16.8+0.5 pts
45Henry County16.2-2.2 pts
46Covington city15.90 pts
47Hampton city15.5-0.9 pts
47Westmoreland County15.5+0.7 pts
49Page County15.4-1 pts
50Cumberland County15.3-2.9 pts
51Waynesboro city14.9+0.3 pts
52Pulaski County14.8+0.4 pts
53Southampton County14.7-0.9 pts
54Alleghany County14.5-0.4 pts
54Patrick County14.5-3.4 pts
56Northumberland County14.4+1 pts
57Fredericksburg city14.1-0.5 pts
58Buena Vista city14-2.2 pts
59Washington County13.9-0.8 pts
60Wythe County13.8-0.6 pts
61Bland County13.7-0.1 pts
62Essex County13.6+0.5 pts
62Middlesex County13.6-0.6 pts
64Franklin County13.3+0.1 pts
65Nelson County13.2+0.6 pts
66Staunton city13.1+0.3 pts
67Lancaster County12.9-1.1 pts
68Surry County12.8-0.6 pts
69Amherst County12.7-1.6 pts
70Pittsylvania County12.6-1 pts
70Rockbridge County12.6+0.3 pts
70Winchester city12.6-2.4 pts
73Highland County12.5-0.8 pts
74Floyd County12.4-1.3 pts
75King and Queen County12.3-1.1 pts
76Charles City County12-0.4 pts
77Appomattox County11.9-2 pts
78Craig County11.7-0.9 pts
79Amelia County11.4+1 pts
79Giles County11.4-0.8 pts
81Campbell County11.3-2 pts
81Madison County11.3+0.1 pts
81Suffolk city11.3-0.4 pts
84Louisa County10.8-1.4 pts
84Salem city10.8+1.6 pts
86Prince George County10.7+1.2 pts
87Alexandria city10.1-0.4 pts
87Bath County10.1-1.6 pts
87Dinwiddie County10.1-2.9 pts
90Culpeper County9.9+0.1 pts
91Colonial Heights city9.8-0.6 pts
91Gloucester County9.8+0.4 pts
93Mathews County9.7-0.4 pts
94Caroline County9.6-0.3 pts
95Henrico County9.5+0.3 pts
95Shenandoah County9.5-1.3 pts
97Chesapeake city9.3+0.7 pts
97Warren County9.3-1 pts
99Orange County9.1-0.1 pts
100Bedford County9-0.6 pts
101Augusta County8.9-0.3 pts
101Rappahannock County8.9-1 pts
103Manassas city8.7-1 pts
104Isle of Wight County8.5-1 pts
105Rockingham County8.4-1.3 pts
106Greene County8.3-0.1 pts
106Virginia Beach city8.30 pts
108Albemarle County7.9-0.6 pts
109Fairfax city7.7+0.9 pts
110Roanoke County7.3-0.1 pts
111Manassas Park city7.1-0.7 pts
112Spotsylvania County6.9-0.5 pts
113James City County6.8+0.3 pts
113King George County6.80 pts
113King William County6.8-0.9 pts
116Chesterfield County6.7-0.3 pts
116Clarke County6.7-1.2 pts
116Fairfax County6.7+0.7 pts
116Fluvanna County6.7-0.8 pts
116Frederick County6.7-0.1 pts
121Botetourt County6.4-1.4 pts
122Goochland County6.1-0.3 pts
122Prince William County6.1-1.3 pts
124Arlington County5.7-1.8 pts
124Fauquier County5.7-0.1 pts
126New Kent County5.5-0.4 pts
127Hanover County5.4-0.4 pts
127Powhatan County5.4-1.2 pts
129Poquoson city5-0.4 pts
129York County5-0.1 pts
131Stafford County4.6-1.1 pts
132Falls Church city3.4-0.2 pts
133Loudoun County3-0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2017/2017-state-and-county/est17all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Virginia by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate&level=province&within=Virginia&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Radford city, with 28.6% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Loudoun County, with 3% in 2017.

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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings