In Forsyth County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Forsyth County, 23.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Forsyth County's score
In Forsyth County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 76.1. About one in four renters (22.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 76% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Forsyth 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.
Forsyth County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (79.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.1 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
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- 72.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.8% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.0% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.2 · 202525th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,638 · 202447th percentile
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- 42.5 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 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Forsyth 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 Forsyth County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Forsyth County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Forsyth County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Forsyth County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Forsyth County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 10.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Forsyth County, North Carolina.
How Forsyth County has changed
Forsyth County's population had its largest rise, from 319,997 in 2004 to 348,532 in 2009.
Forsyth County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 398,143, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 264,921. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Forsyth County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Forsyth County rose by about a quarter to 190,305, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 181,372. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Forsyth County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,659 | 2024 $67,638 |
The table uses 4.0% 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 Forsyth County's history
1849
Formed in 1849 from Stokes County. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in March 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 382,590, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Forsyth County. FEMA
Forsyth County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Forsyth County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Forsyth County ranks 6th of the seven; Stokes County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surry County, NC | 61 | 16.7% | 30.4% |
| Guilford County, NC | 61 | 13.5% | 20.9% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 60 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| Davidson County, NC | 51 | 11.2% | 25.9% |
| Stokes County, NC | 49 | 11.8% | 32.2% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 44 | 14.5% | 29.2% |
| Davie County, NC | 36 | 10.4% | 22.9% |
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 Forsyth County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Forsyth County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 63rd 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, Forsyth County ranks 53rd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Forsyth 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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Credit.org - North Carolina Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Financial Pathways of the Piedmont
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Financial Pathways of the Piedmont - Winston-salem Office
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 Forsyth 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 Forsyth County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.