Beaufort County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.2 | 44,481 people · 30th most distressed in North Carolina
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Beaufort County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.2 — 736th 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 30th of 100 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Beaufort County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.7 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.7
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 68
Child Poverty Rate 91
Debt & Delinquency 69.7
Debt in Collections 73
Medical Debt 81
Student Loan Delinquency 72
Auto Loan Delinquency 71
Credit Card Delinquency 70
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 52
Community Vulnerability 62.8
Uninsured Rate 68
Disability Rate 58
Housing Cost Burden 57.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 69
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 53
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 57
Homeownership Rate 70
Rent-to-Income Ratio 38
Employment & Wages 35.8
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 22
Business Formation Rate 51

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Beaufort County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Beaufort County
Beaufort County, NC 61.2 Elevated —
Hyde County, NC 73.7 Serious +12.4
Washington County, NC 71.6 Serious +10.4
Martin County, NC 70.8 Serious +9.6
Pitt County, NC 62.5 Elevated +1.2
Craven County, NC 57.2 Elevated -4.1
Pamlico County, NC 55.6 Elevated -5.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Beaufort County
Meigs County, TN 61.3 Elevated +0.0
Bleckley County, GA 61.3 Elevated +0.0
Gonzales County, TX 61.2 Elevated -0.1
Coshocton County, OH 61.1 Elevated -0.1
Alcorn County, MS 61.1 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Beaufort 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 Beaufort 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 →

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Beaufort County has a County Distress Index score of 61.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 736th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Beaufort County?

    The primary driver of distress in Beaufort County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 80.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Beaufort County compare to neighboring counties?

    Beaufort County (61.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Hyde County, NC (73.7); Washington County, NC (71.6); Martin County, NC (70.8).

  • 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 Beaufort County?

    Beaufort County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 44,481 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.