About three in ten people with a credit file in Craven County, North Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Craven County, 29.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Craven County's score
In Craven County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 65.5. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 22.8% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 69% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Craven 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.
Craven County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (103.5, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.5 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 63.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 54.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.4% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.5 · 202537th percentile
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- 49.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,661 · 202453rd percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th 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 Craven 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 Craven County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Craven County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Craven County had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 2004 to 21.2% in 2009.
In Craven County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 29.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Craven County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Craven County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2010 to 12.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Craven County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.0%
High on the chart: 14.9% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Craven County, North Carolina.
How Craven County has changed
Craven County's population nearly doubled to 104,167, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 101,923. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Craven County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Craven County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 40,422, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 40,665 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Craven County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,427 | 2024 $65,661 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Craven County's history
2003
Lightning in June 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Lightning in June 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in June 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 103,505. The 2020 Census counted 100,720, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Craven County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Craven County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Craven County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Craven County ranks 5th of the seven; Jones County is highest, at 35.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir County, NC | 87 | 19.1% | 33.2% |
| Pitt County, NC | 83 | 19.8% | 23.9% |
| Jones County, NC | 79 | 17.3% | 35.3% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 68 | 16.1% | 33.2% |
| Craven County, NC | 59 | 12.7% | 29.0% |
| Pamlico County, NC | 48 | 17.6% | 33.5% |
| Carteret County, NC | 24 | 9.5% | 25.9% |
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 Craven County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Craven County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 66th 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, Craven County ranks 55th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Craven 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 Craven 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 Craven County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.