In Chowan County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Chowan County, 27.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chowan County's score
In Chowan County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 68.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chowan 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.
Chowan County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (122.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 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 rent25.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.6% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
-
- 68.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.3% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
-
- 66.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.8% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,780 · 202476th percentile
-
- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people122.4 · 202548th percentile
-
- 52.7 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 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th 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 Chowan 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 Chowan County, 26.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chowan County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chowan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Chowan County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Chowan County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22.2%, with most of the change between 2010 and 2011
High on the chart: 23.6% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chowan County, North Carolina.
How Chowan County has changed
Chowan County's population had its largest rise, from 11,074 in 1974 to 12,614 in 1979.
Chowan County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 14,915 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chowan County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Chowan County had its largest drop, from 5,805 in 2005 to 4,836 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Chowan County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 5,805 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chowan County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.8% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,044 | 2024 $57,780 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Chowan County's history
1984
A thunderstorm in April 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,793. The 2020 Census counted 13,708, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
A tornado in April 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1968
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chowan County. FEMA
Chowan County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Chowan County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chowan County ranks 3rd of the four; Hertford County is highest, at 39.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertford County, NC | 93 | 22.9% | 39.6% |
| Chowan County, NC | 79 | 15.9% | 33.0% |
| Gates County, NC | 70 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Perquimans County, NC | 40 | 13.8% | 33.2% |
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 Chowan County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Chowan County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 38th 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, Chowan County ranks 24th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chowan 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.
-
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 Chowan 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 Chowan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.