In Cumberland County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Cumberland County, 29.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cumberland County's score
In Cumberland County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.6. People with a credit card behind: 9.1%, August 2025, higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 85.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cumberland 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.
Cumberland County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (118.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.8% · second quarter of 202685th percentile
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- 85.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.1% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.2% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,831 · 202468th percentile
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- 65.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.2% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.4 · 202546th 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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, 13.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cumberland County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cumberland County had its largest rise, from 15.5% in 2004 to 21.6% in 2009.
In Cumberland County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about nine times its 1969 level, reaching 33.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Cumberland County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about nine times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2011 to 14.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.6%
High on the chart: 18.8% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
How Cumberland County has changed
Cumberland County's population had its largest rise, from 209,266 in 1969 to 233,197 in 1974.
Cumberland County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 338,430, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 334,800. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cumberland County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 109,687. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,108 | 2024 $60,831 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Cumberland County's history
1754
Formed in 1754 from Bladen County. Wikipedia
1865
Gen. William T. Sherman destroyed Confederate arsenal, foundries, cotton factories, and offices of The Fayetteville Observer in March 1865. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $100 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $62.1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $35.31 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 334,728, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1984
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cumberland County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cumberland County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cumberland County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cumberland County ranks 3rd of the seven; Robeson County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 89 | 16.5% | 33.1% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Hoke County, NC | 78 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Harnett County, NC | 54 | 13.2% | 25.7% |
| Moore County, NC | 19 | 10.9% | 23.2% |
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 Cumberland County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Cumberland County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 32nd 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, Cumberland County ranks 13th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cumberland 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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Kingdom Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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North Carolina Community Housing and Consulting, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.