About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Bladen County, North Carolina, is not working
In Bladen County, 32.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bladen County's score
In Bladen County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.5. People with a credit card behind: 13.2%, August 2025, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 87.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bladen 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.
Bladen County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (105.1, 2025) and people with a disability (15.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind13.2% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.2% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 87.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 80.4 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 77.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.2% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,547 · 202492nd percentile
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- 66.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.2% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people105.1 · 202538th 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 Bladen 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 Bladen County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bladen County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bladen County had its largest rise, from 27.6% in 2004 to 32.6% in 2009.
In Bladen County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 36.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Bladen County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bladen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.4% in 2012 to 25.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Bladen County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 26.2%
Low on the chart: 17.7% 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, Bladen County, North Carolina.
How Bladen County has changed
Bladen County's population had its largest drop, from 32,951 in 2014 to 29,786 in 2019.
Bladen County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 34,852 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bladen County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Bladen County had its largest rise, from 7,829 in 1990 to 11,357 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Bladen County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2020, reaching 13,072, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 13,461 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bladen County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.9% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,140 | 2024 $49,547 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bladen County's history
1734
Formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County from New Hanover Precinct; became a county in 1739 with the abolition of Bath County. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 35,190. The 2020 Census counted 29,606, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $3.1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in October 2016 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bladen County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bladen County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bladen County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bladen County ranks 3rd of the six; Robeson County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 89 | 16.5% | 33.1% |
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Pender County, NC | 31 | 10.4% | 25.6% |
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 Bladen County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Bladen County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 11th 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, Bladen County ranks 6th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bladen 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 Bladen 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 Bladen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.