Hertford County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Serious · 74.4 | 19,453 people · 8th most distressed in North Carolina
American Default Research

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Hertford County, NC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 74.4 — 78th 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 8th of 100 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Hertford County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 91.5 — worse than roughly 92% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 91.5
Poverty Rate 92
Income vs. State Median 89
Child Poverty Rate 93
Debt & Delinquency 86.7
Debt in Collections 94
Medical Debt 67
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 91
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 79
Housing Cost Burden 81.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 91
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 90
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 83
Homeownership Rate 81
Rent-to-Income Ratio 65
Community Vulnerability 71.8
Uninsured Rate 63
Disability Rate 81
Employment & Wages 40.2
Unemployment Rate 61
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 31
Business Formation Rate 29

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Hertford County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Hertford County
Hertford County, NC 74.4 Serious —
Bertie County, NC 77.1 Serious +2.7
Northampton County, NC 72.0 Serious -2.4
Chowan County, NC 59.7 Elevated -14.7
Gates County, NC 57.0 Elevated -17.4
Southampton County, VA 51.0 Elevated -23.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Hertford County
Bamberg County, SC 74.4 Serious -0.0
Okfuskee County, OK 74.5 Serious +0.1
Williamsburg County, SC 74.5 Serious +0.1
Choctaw County, OK 74.6 Serious +0.2
Frio County, TX 74.7 Serious +0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Hertford County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Hertford County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Hertford County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Hertford County, North Carolina?

    Hertford County has a County Distress Index score of 74.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 78th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Hertford County?

    The primary driver of distress in Hertford County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 91.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Hertford County compare to neighboring counties?

    Hertford County (74.4) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Bertie County, NC (77.1); Northampton County, NC (72.0); Chowan County, NC (59.7).

  • 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 Hertford County?

    Hertford County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 19,453 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.