In Buncombe County, North Carolina, benefit checks make up only 21 cents of every dollar of income
In Buncombe County, 20.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Buncombe County's score
In Buncombe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 35.5. About one in three people (34.3%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 73% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Buncombe 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, Buncombe County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.4%, fiscal year 2027).
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 rent20.9% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.4% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 42.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,993 · 202421st percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.5 · 202534th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.3% · second quarter of 202626th 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 Buncombe 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 Buncombe County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Buncombe County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Buncombe County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 17.7% in 2004 to 22.1% in 2009.
In Buncombe County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Buncombe County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Buncombe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.2% in 2016 to 10.7% in 2017.
The share of households in Buncombe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Buncombe County, North Carolina.
How Buncombe County has changed
Buncombe County's population had its largest rise, from 218,139 in 2004 to 236,349 in 2009.
Buncombe County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 279,210, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 165,347. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Buncombe County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Buncombe County rose by more than half to 134,686, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 123,874. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Buncombe County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,003 | 2024 $78,993 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Buncombe County's history
1792
Created in January 1792 from parts of Burke and Rutherford counties. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 269,452, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in June 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic, record-breaking flooding in September 2024 with 47 deaths in Buncombe County. Wikipedia
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $300 million in property damage and killed 15 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $300 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A debris flow in September 2024 did $1 million in property damage and killed 13 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Buncombe County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Buncombe County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Buncombe County, four score higher. Of the group, Buncombe County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Rutherford County gets the largest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County, NC | 75 | 14.8% | 37.0% |
| McDowell County, NC | 61 | 15.5% | 36.2% |
| Madison County, NC | 56 | 14.9% | 33.4% |
| Haywood County, NC | 50 | 13.6% | 32.2% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 45 | 12.4% | 20.9% |
| Yancey County, NC | 45 | 14.5% | 35.9% |
| Henderson County, NC | 31 | 9.8% | 26.8% |
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 Buncombe County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Buncombe County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 71st 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, Buncombe County ranks 67th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Buncombe 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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Consumer Credit Counseling Service of WNC, Inc. - Dba - Ontrack Financial Education & Counseling
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Pisgah Legal Services
Legal aid
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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 Buncombe 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 Buncombe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.