North Carolina County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 100 counties in North Carolina, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 58.2. 31counties are in Serious or Crisis.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
North Carolina Snapshot
100 Counties Scored
58.2 Mean Score
57.9 Median Score
82.8 Hertford County Most Distressed
30.7 Camden County Least Distressed
5 Crisis 26 Serious 42 Elevated 24 Normal 3 Healthy
Zone Distribution North Carolina County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 100 North Carolina counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How North Carolina's 100 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All North Carolina Counties
100 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | Hertford County | 82.8 | Crisis | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 2 | 34 | Edgecombe County | 82.7 | Crisis | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 3 | 40 | Vance County | 82.2 | Crisis | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 4 | 46 | Halifax County | 81.7 | Crisis | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 5 | 51 | Scotland County | 81.1 | Crisis | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 6 | 68 | Robeson County | 79.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 7 | 101 | Washington County | 78.1 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 8 | 114 | Anson County | 77.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 9 | 139 | Bertie County | 76.6 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 10 | 161 | Wilson County | 75.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 11 | 173 | Northampton County | 75.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 12 | 192 | Richmond County | 74.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 13 | 203 | Martin County | 74.6 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 14 | 211 | Cumberland County | 74.3 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 15 | 239 | Greene County | 73.6 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 16 | 282 | Pitt County | 72.6 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 17 | 290 | Warren County | 72.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 18 | 331 | Wayne County | 71.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 19 | 337 | Lenoir County | 71.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 20 | 357 | Gaston County | 70.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 21 | 360 | Pasquotank County | 70.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 22 | 395 | Duplin County | 69.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 23 | 406 | Cleveland County | 69.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 24 | 417 | Bladen County | 69.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 25 | 428 | Jones County | 69.3 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 26 | 463 | Person County | 68.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 27 | 470 | Hyde County | 68.3 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 28 | 490 | Columbus County | 68.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 29 | 499 | Hoke County | 67.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 30 | 512 | Nash County | 67.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 31 | 571 | Sampson County | 66.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 32 | 695 | Onslow County | 64.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 33 | 707 | Rutherford County | 64.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 34 | 710 | Franklin County | 63.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 35 | 734 | Chowan County | 63.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 36 | 739 | Guilford County | 63.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 37 | 740 | Beaufort County | 63.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 38 | 796 | Craven County | 62.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 39 | 799 | Randolph County | 62.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 40 | 856 | Caswell County | 61.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 41 | 861 | Rowan County | 61.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 42 | 888 | Harnett County | 60.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 43 | 893 | Granville County | 60.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 44 | 909 | Burke County | 60.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 45 | 913 | Rockingham County | 60.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 46 | 933 | Graham County | 60.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 47 | 942 | Forsyth County | 60.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 48 | 1,036 | Alamance County | 58.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 49 | 1,064 | Gates County | 58.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 50 | 1,081 | Lee County | 57.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 51 | 1,082 | Tyrrell County | 57.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 52 | 1,095 | Mecklenburg County | 57.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 53 | 1,099 | Swain County | 57.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 54 | 1,122 | Caldwell County | 57.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 55 | 1,238 | Johnston County | 55.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 56 | 1,325 | Durham County | 54.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 57 | 1,338 | Wilkes County | 54.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 58 | 1,341 | Perquimans County | 54.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 59 | 1,372 | Surry County | 53.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 60 | 1,376 | Davidson County | 53.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 61 | 1,377 | Jackson County | 53.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 62 | 1,384 | Cabarrus County | 53.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 63 | 1,402 | McDowell County | 53.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 64 | 1,436 | New Hanover County | 52.3 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 65 | 1,451 | Buncombe County | 52.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 66 | 1,453 | Clay County | 52.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 67 | 1,505 | Yadkin County | 51.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 68 | 1,510 | Montgomery County | 51.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 69 | 1,523 | Madison County | 51.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 70 | 1,543 | Macon County | 50.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 71 | 1,553 | Stanly County | 50.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 72 | 1,556 | Pamlico County | 50.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 73 | 1,573 | Pender County | 50.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 74 | 1,580 | Haywood County | 50.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 75 | 1,627 | Catawba County | 49.2 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 76 | 1,665 | Alleghany County | 48.7 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 77 | 1,714 | Cherokee County | 48.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 78 | 1,789 | Brunswick County | 46.8 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 79 | 1,794 | Alexander County | 46.7 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 80 | 1,807 | Stokes County | 46.6 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 81 | 1,875 | Transylvania County | 45.5 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 82 | 1,880 | Iredell County | 45.3 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 83 | 1,915 | Lincoln County | 44.7 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 84 | 1,934 | Carteret County | 44.4 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 85 | 1,979 | Watauga County | 43.6 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 86 | 1,990 | Wake County | 43.4 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 87 | 2,046 | Avery County | 42.5 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 88 | 2,060 | Polk County | 42.1 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 89 | 2,113 | Henderson County | 41.2 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 90 | 2,168 | Yancey County | 40.4 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 91 | 2,193 | Davie County | 40.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 92 | 2,199 | Mitchell County | 40.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 93 | 2,205 | Dare County | 39.8 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 94 | 2,251 | Union County | 39.1 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 95 | 2,274 | Moore County | 38.6 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 96 | 2,316 | Orange County | 37.9 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 97 | 2,355 | Ashe County | 37.2 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 98 | 2,615 | Currituck County | 32.5 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 99 | 2,673 | Chatham County | 31.6 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 100 | 2,725 | Camden County | 30.7 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties