Unemployment in Currituck County, North Carolina, is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Currituck County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Currituck County's score
In Currituck County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 41.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Currituck 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.
Currituck 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.
- 41.3 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 rent14.2% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th percentile
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- 23.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.2% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.3 · 202526th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,709 · 20247th percentile
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- 9.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Currituck 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 Currituck County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Currituck County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Currituck County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Currituck County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Currituck County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.0% in 2011 to 8.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Currituck County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 5.8%
Low on the chart: 4.2% 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, Currituck County, North Carolina.
How Currituck County has changed
Currituck County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 27,265 in 2019 to 32,278 in 2024.
Currituck County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 32,278, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 13,619. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Currituck County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Currituck County rose most in two steps: 3,998 in 2000 to 5,382 in 2005; 5,278 in 2010 to 6,662 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Currituck County tripled to 7,313, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 5,382. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Currituck County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,700 | 2024 $94,709 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Currituck County's history
2004
A rip current in September 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A rip current in September 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 28,100, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1988
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Currituck County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Currituck County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Currituck County, in North Carolina and Virginia, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Currituck County ranks 2nd of the five; Camden County is highest, at 23.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake city, VA | 48 | 10.5% | 19.6% |
| Virginia Beach city, VA | 41 | 7.9% | 17.0% |
| Dare County, NC | 17 | 8.4% | 19.4% |
| Currituck County, NC | 9 | 8.1% | 20.7% |
| Camden County, NC | 3 | 7.5% | 23.0% |
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 Currituck County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Currituck County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 98th 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, Currituck County ranks 99th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Currituck 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 Currituck 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 Currituck County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.