Benefit checks make up 33 cents of every dollar of income in Beaufort County, North Carolina
In Beaufort County, 33.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Beaufort County's score
In Beaufort County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 69.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 6.8%, August 2025, higher than in 70% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Beaufort County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Beaufort County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.4% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.1% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,625 · 202474th percentile
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- 62.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people130.4 · 202551st percentile
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- 55.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
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- 47.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Beaufort County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Beaufort County, 25.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Beaufort County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Beaufort County had its largest rise, from 15.6% in 1989 to 20.0% in 1994.
In Beaufort County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 33.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Beaufort County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Beaufort County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2011 to 17.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Beaufort County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Beaufort County, North Carolina.
How Beaufort County has changed
Beaufort County's population had its largest rise, from 37,199 in 1974 to 40,236 in 1979.
Beaufort County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44,576
High on the chart: 47,485 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Beaufort County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Beaufort County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 18,131 in 2000 to 16,898 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Beaufort County fell 14% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 18,131 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Beaufort County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.9% | 2024 16.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,365 | 2024 $58,625 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Beaufort County's history
1705
First called Pamptecough Precinct in 1705, renamed Beaufort Precinct in 1712, became Beaufort County in 1739. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in April 1973 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in October 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 47,759. The 2020 Census counted 44,652, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in July 2012 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in April 2014 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Beaufort County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Beaufort County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Beaufort County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Beaufort County ranks 4th of the seven; Washington County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NC | 96 | 19.9% | 44.7% |
| Hyde County, NC | 88 | 20.7% | 27.4% |
| Pitt County, NC | 83 | 19.8% | 23.9% |
| Martin County, NC | 81 | 19.7% | 43.9% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 68 | 16.1% | 33.2% |
| Craven County, NC | 59 | 12.7% | 29.0% |
| Pamlico County, NC | 48 | 17.6% | 33.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Beaufort County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Beaufort County's poverty rate was 16.1% in 2024, 36th highest of 100 in North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Robeson County, at 23.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Beaufort County ranks 38th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Beaufort County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Beaufort County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Beaufort County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.