Alleghany County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.5 | 11,342 people · 34th most distressed in North Carolina
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Alleghany County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.5 — 802nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within North Carolina, it ranks 34th of 100 counties. It scores higher than all 4 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Alleghany County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.5 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.5
Poverty Rate 69
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 78
Community Vulnerability 75.6
Uninsured Rate 87
Disability Rate 64
Debt & Delinquency 50.3
Debt in Collections 38
Medical Debt 39
Student Loan Delinquency 70
Auto Loan Delinquency 89
Credit Card Delinquency 50
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 16
Employment & Wages 48.7
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 70
Business Formation Rate 31
Housing Cost Burden 47.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 20
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 29
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 72
Homeownership Rate 35
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Alleghany County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Alleghany County
Alleghany County, NC 60.5 Elevated —
Grayson County, VA 59.9 Elevated -0.5
Wilkes County, NC 58.4 Elevated -2.1
Surry County, NC 51.7 Elevated -8.8
Ashe County, NC 50.4 Elevated -10.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Alleghany County
Wood County, TX 60.5 Elevated 0.0
Dent County, MO 60.5 Elevated +0.0
Letcher County, KY 60.5 Elevated +0.1
Osage County, OK 60.5 Elevated +0.1
Neosho County, KS 60.5 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Alleghany County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Alleghany County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Alleghany County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Alleghany County, North Carolina?

    Alleghany County has a County Distress Index score of 60.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 802nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 34th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Alleghany County?

    The primary driver of distress in Alleghany County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 80.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Alleghany County compare to neighboring counties?

    Alleghany County (60.5) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Grayson County, VA (59.9); Wilkes County, NC (58.4); Surry County, NC (51.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Alleghany County?

    Alleghany County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 11,342 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.