In Franklin County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Franklin County, 28.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and median household income ($72,026, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.2 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 rent25.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 70.2 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 behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126 · 202549th percentile
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- 46.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,026 · 202435th percentile
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- 35.4 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 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Franklin County had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2004 to 22.9% in 2009.
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.7% in 2022 to 12.9% in 2023.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.1% 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, Franklin County, North Carolina.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 67,191 in 2019 to 79,771 in 2024.
Franklin County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 79,771, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 29,694. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County doubled to 14,549, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 14,549. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,506 | 2024 $72,026 |
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 Franklin County's history
1779
Formed in 1779 from the southern half of Bute County. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in November 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Lightning in August 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 68,573, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in June 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Franklin County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 5th of the six; Warren County is highest, at 39.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vance County, NC | 96 | 18.1% | 38.9% |
| Warren County, NC | 85 | 20.1% | 39.0% |
| Nash County, NC | 72 | 12.5% | 28.4% |
| Granville County, NC | 67 | 13.5% | 23.8% |
| Franklin County, NC | 67 | 12.6% | 23.3% |
| Wake County, NC | 17 | 8.6% | 11.2% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 67th 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, Franklin County ranks 41st of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.