About one in 10 people in Durham County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Durham County, 10.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Durham County's score
In Durham County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.5. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (15.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Durham 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.
Even so, Durham County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 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 rent21.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.8% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 55.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.5 · 202519th percentile
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- 33.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,375 · 202414th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th 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 Durham 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 Durham County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Durham County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Durham County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 15.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Durham County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Durham County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (8.1% in 2009) to 9.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Durham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.1% 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, Durham County, North Carolina.
How Durham County has changed
Durham County's population had its largest rise, from 265,356 in 2009 to 294,650 in 2014.
Durham County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 343,628, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 151,308. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Durham County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Durham County had its largest rise, from 142,521 in 1995 to 166,902 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Durham County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 233,836, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 169,352. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Durham County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,184 | 2024 $84,375 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Durham County's history
1881
Formed on April 17, 1881, from parts of Orange County and Wake County. Wikipedia
1986
A thunderstorm in August 1986 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in March 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $11.05 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 324,833, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Durham County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Durham County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Durham County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Durham County ranks 3rd of the six; Person County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person County, NC | 69 | 14.3% | 30.2% |
| Granville County, NC | 67 | 13.5% | 23.8% |
| Durham County, NC | 42 | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| Orange County, NC | 22 | 12.4% | 11.8% |
| Wake County, NC | 17 | 8.6% | 11.2% |
| Chatham County, NC | 11 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
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 Durham County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Durham County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 82nd 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, Durham County ranks 75th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.