Bladen County, North Carolina
More than double the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Bladen County, North Carolina ranks 255th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 255th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 76.1 · high county distress, 12th in North Carolina.
- 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 99th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Child poverty rate at 29% — national median 18%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Debt in collections at 39% — national median 23%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 99th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 39-point drop to Pender County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
"Bladen County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 29% of children under 18 in Bladen County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Bladen County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Bladen County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Bladen | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 94 · Rank 99 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 7% | 5% | 93rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 13% | 7% | 5% | 99th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 36% | 28% | 23% | 90th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 66 · Rank 885 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 39% | 27% | 23% | 93rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 105 | 87 | 126 | 39th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 64 · Rank 944 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 62nd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 20% | 19% | 18% | 67th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 477 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 84th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 73 · Rank 682 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 29% | 21% | 18% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 16% | 17% | 16% | 47th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 15% | 14% | 83rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 10% | 8% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Bladen County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 148-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. — Bladen County ranks 255th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 76.1 out of 100 gives Bladen a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 254 counties rank more distressed. Within North Carolina, Bladen ranks 12th of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Bladen. 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
"Bladen County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bladen County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Bladen County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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