About one in nine people in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Cabarrus County, 11.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cabarrus County's score
In Cabarrus County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 73.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 19.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cabarrus 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, Cabarrus County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.7 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
-
- 56.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.2% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
-
- 38.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.1 · 202526th percentile
-
- 28.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
-
- 19.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability11.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,867 · 202412th percentile
-
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 Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County, 13.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cabarrus County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cabarrus County had its largest rise, from 7.4% in 1969 to 12.0% in 1974.
In Cabarrus County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Cabarrus County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cabarrus County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.4% in 2011 to 11.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Cabarrus County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 10.3%
Low on the chart: 7.4% 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, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
How Cabarrus County has changed
Cabarrus County's population had its largest rise, from 146,429 in 2004 to 175,993 in 2009.
Cabarrus County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 244,925, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 84,170. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Cabarrus County had its largest rise in the last span, from 73,794 in 2020 to 91,560 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cabarrus County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 91,560, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 61,387. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,946 | 2024 $87,867 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Cabarrus County's history
1792
Formed on December 29, 1792, from Mecklenburg County. Wikipedia
1799
First substantiated gold find in America occurred in 1799 when Conrad Reed discovered gold in Little Meadow Creek in Cabarrus County. Wikipedia
1897
Coleman Manufacturing Company, first cotton mill owned and operated by African Americans, established 1897 in Concord by Warren Clay Coleman. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in August 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in July 1997 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in August 2008 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 225,804, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in April 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cabarrus County. FEMA
Cabarrus County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cabarrus County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cabarrus County ranks 3rd of the six; Rowan County is highest, at 28.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | 68 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 49 | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| Stanly County, NC | 44 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 38 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Iredell County, NC | 36 | 9.6% | 17.8% |
| Union County, NC | 15 | 7.6% | 13.6% |
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 Cabarrus County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Cabarrus County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 96th 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, Cabarrus County ranks 82nd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cabarrus 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.
-
Prosperity Unlimited, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
-
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 Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.