Halifax County, North Carolina
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Halifax County. Population: 47,298 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Halifax County, NC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 77.3 — 25th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within North Carolina, it ranks 1st of 100 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Halifax County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Housing Cost Burden
Community Vulnerability
Employment & Wages
How Halifax County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County, NC | 77.3 | Serious Stress | — |
| Bertie County, NC | 77.1 | Serious Stress | -0.1 |
| Edgecombe County, NC | 75.8 | Serious Stress | -1.5 |
| Warren County, NC | 72.4 | Serious Stress | -4.9 |
| Northampton County, NC | 72.0 | Serious Stress | -5.2 |
| Martin County, NC | 70.8 | Serious Stress | -6.5 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee County, FL | 77.3 | Serious Stress | +0.0 |
| Adair County, OK | 77.2 | Serious Stress | -0.1 |
| Bertie County, NC | 77.1 | Serious Stress | -0.1 |
| Yazoo County, MS | 77.1 | Serious Stress | -0.2 |
| Ripley County, MO | 77.0 | Serious Stress | -0.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Halifax County as a CSV file.
Resources
Halifax County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Halifax County, North Carolina?
Halifax County has a County Distress Index score of 77.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 25th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in North Carolina out of 100 counties.
What drives financial distress in Halifax County?
The primary driver of distress in Halifax County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Halifax County compare to neighboring counties?
Halifax County (77.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Bertie County, NC (77.1); Edgecombe County, NC (75.8); Warren County, NC (72.4).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Halifax County?
Halifax County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 47,298 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.