Bladen County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.1 | 29,484 people · 27th most distressed in North Carolina
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Bladen County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.1 — 617th 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 27th of 100 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bladen County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 86.7 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 86.7
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 88
Child Poverty Rate 89
Debt & Delinquency 80.4
Debt in Collections 93
Medical Debt 59
Student Loan Delinquency 99
Auto Loan Delinquency 93
Credit Card Delinquency 99
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 39
Community Vulnerability 52.2
Uninsured Rate 57
Disability Rate 47
Housing Cost Burden 50.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 37
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 67
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 71
Rent-to-Income Ratio 62
Employment & Wages 45.5
Unemployment Rate 74
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 30
Business Formation Rate 32

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Bladen County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bladen County
Bladen County, NC 63.1 Elevated —
Robeson County, NC 76.3 Serious +13.2
Cumberland County, NC 65.7 Serious +2.6
Columbus County, NC 64.6 Elevated +1.5
Sampson County, NC 61.0 Elevated -2.2
Pender County, NC 44.4 Normal -18.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bladen County
Cedar County, MO 63.1 Elevated -0.0
Piscataquis County, ME 63.1 Elevated +0.0
Buchanan County, VA 63.1 Elevated +0.0
Buckingham County, VA 63.1 Elevated +0.0
Wharton County, TX 63.1 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Bladen 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 Bladen 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Bladen County has a County Distress Index score of 63.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 617th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 27th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bladen County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bladen County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 86.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Bladen County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bladen County (63.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Robeson County, NC (76.3); Cumberland County, NC (65.7); Columbus County, NC (64.6).

  • 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 Bladen County?

    Bladen County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 29,484 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.