About one in 11 people in Brunswick County, North Carolina, lives below the poverty line
In Brunswick County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brunswick County's score
In Brunswick County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 29.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brunswick 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.
Even so, Brunswick County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.2% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,361 · 202418th percentile
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- 31.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.2% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.5 · 202532nd percentile
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- 29.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.7% · second quarter of 202614th 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 Brunswick 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 Brunswick County, 33.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brunswick County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Brunswick County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Brunswick County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brunswick County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.6% in 2010 to 11.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Brunswick County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.5%
Low on the chart: 8.3% 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, Brunswick County, North Carolina.
How Brunswick County has changed
Brunswick County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 132,837 in 2019 to 167,112 in 2024.
Brunswick County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 167,112, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 35,167. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brunswick County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Brunswick County had its largest rise in the last span, from 32,601 in 2020 to 43,201 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Brunswick County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 43,201, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 27,291. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brunswick County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,491 | 2024 $81,361 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Brunswick County's history
1764
Formed in 1764 from parts of Bladen County and New Hanover County. Wikipedia
1776
Brunswick Town destroyed during the American Revolutionary War; southern portion of county increased in population afterward. Wikipedia
1960
National Airlines Flight 2511 exploded over Bolivia on January 6, 1960, destroying DC-6 billion with dynamite aboard. Wikipedia
2004
Lightning in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Heavy rain in October 2005 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in September 2019 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 136,693, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A tornado in February 2021 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1984
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brunswick County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brunswick County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Brunswick County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Brunswick County ranks 3rd of the five; Columbus County is highest, at 39.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 42 | 9.0% | 31.9% |
| New Hanover County, NC | 41 | 11.7% | 20.4% |
| 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 Brunswick County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Brunswick County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 93rd 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, Brunswick County ranks 76th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brunswick 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 Brunswick 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 Brunswick County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.