In Chatham County, North Carolina, benefit checks make up only 16 cents of every dollar of income
In Chatham County, 15.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chatham County's score
In Chatham County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 62.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 11.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 46.6 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chatham 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.
Chatham County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.8 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 21.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.7% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$100,222 · 20245th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 16.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 11.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.8% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people46.6 · 20258th 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 Chatham 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 Chatham County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chatham County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chatham County had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2004 to 15.9% in 2009.
In Chatham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Chatham County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chatham County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2013 to 9.4% in 2014.
The share of households in Chatham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.0% 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, Chatham County, North Carolina.
How Chatham County has changed
Chatham County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 75,163 in 2019 to 83,874 in 2024.
Chatham County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 83,874, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 30,620. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chatham County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chatham County nearly doubled to 20,318, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 20,318. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chatham County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 8.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,855 | 2024 $100,222 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Chatham County's history
1771
Formed in 1771 from Orange County. Wikipedia
1953
Coal mining ceased 1953. Wikipedia
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $6.33 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 76,285, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chatham County. FEMA
Chatham County beside its neighbors
All eight counties that border Chatham County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chatham County ranks 7th of the nine; Randolph County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County, NC | 65 | 12.5% | 28.1% |
| Alamance County, NC | 56 | 13.8% | 25.0% |
| Harnett County, NC | 54 | 13.2% | 25.7% |
| Lee County, NC | 52 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Durham County, NC | 42 | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| Orange County, NC | 22 | 12.4% | 11.8% |
| Moore County, NC | 19 | 10.9% | 23.2% |
| Wake County, NC | 17 | 8.6% | 11.2% |
| Chatham County, NC | 11 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
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 Chatham County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Chatham County's poverty rate was 8.7% in 2024, 94th 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, Chatham County ranks 98th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chatham 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 Chatham 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 Chatham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.