Columbus County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.6 | 50,121 people · 24th most distressed in North Carolina
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Columbus County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.6 — 527th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within North Carolina, it ranks 24th of 100 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Columbus County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 87.3 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 87.3
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 85
Child Poverty Rate 91
Debt & Delinquency 74.9
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 63
Student Loan Delinquency 89
Auto Loan Delinquency 88
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 34
Community Vulnerability 70.7
Uninsured Rate 84
Disability Rate 58
Housing Cost Burden 50.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 40
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 44
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 53
Homeownership Rate 61
Rent-to-Income Ratio 57
Employment & Wages 39.2
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 33
Business Formation Rate 29

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Columbus County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Columbus County
Columbus County, NC 64.6 Elevated —
Robeson County, NC 76.3 Serious +11.7
Dillon County, SC 72.8 Serious +8.2
Bladen County, NC 63.1 Elevated -1.5
Horry County, SC 61.4 Elevated -3.2
Brunswick County, NC 46.0 Normal -18.5
Pender County, NC 44.4 Normal -20.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Columbus County
Clarke County, GA 64.6 Elevated +0.0
Josephine County, OR 64.5 Elevated -0.0
Trumbull County, OH 64.7 Elevated +0.1
Hunt County, TX 64.7 Elevated +0.1
Rutherford County, NC 64.5 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Columbus County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Columbus County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Columbus County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Columbus County, North Carolina?

    Columbus County has a County Distress Index score of 64.6 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 527th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Columbus County?

    The primary driver of distress in Columbus County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 87.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Columbus County compare to neighboring counties?

    Columbus County (64.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Robeson County, NC (76.3); Dillon County, SC (72.8); Bladen County, NC (63.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Columbus County?

    Columbus County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 50,121 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.