About two in five people with a credit file in Hertford County, North Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Hertford County, 39.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hertford County's score
In Hertford County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 12.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 89.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hertford 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.
Hertford County does better than most counties on one measure: adults 25 to 54 not working (15.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score56.9% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 89.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 86.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.9% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people215.9 · 202578th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.9% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.1% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability20.0% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,051 · 202494th percentile
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- 37.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th 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 Hertford 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 Hertford County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hertford County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hertford County had its largest rise in the last span, from 34.8% in 2019 to 39.6% in 2024.
In Hertford County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 39.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Hertford County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 39.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hertford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 26.2% in 2012 to 29.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Hertford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 27.8%
Low on the chart: 19.0% 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, Hertford County, North Carolina.
How Hertford County has changed
Hertford County's population fell by about a fifth to 19,169, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2019 and 2024
High on the chart: 24,580 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hertford County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Hertford County had its largest rise, from 8,299 in 1995 to 9,551 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hertford County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 9,563 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hertford County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.2% | 2024 22.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,450 | 2024 $48,051 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Hertford County's history
1706
Meherrin Indian Tribe moved south from Virginia and settled on abandoned Chowanoke reservation in 1706. Wikipedia
1759
Created December 19, 1759 from parts of Bertie, Chowan and Northampton Counties, effective May 1, 1760. Wikipedia
1900
Boll weevil damage to cotton crops in early 1900s led to agricultural diversification. Wikipedia
1929
Town bank failed during the Great Depression. Wikipedia
1981
A tornado in March 1981 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 24,669. The 2020 Census counted 21,552, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hertford County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hertford County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hertford County, in North Carolina and Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hertford County ranks 2nd of the five; Northampton County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton County, NC | 95 | 22.5% | 40.9% |
| Hertford County, NC | 93 | 22.9% | 39.6% |
| Bertie County, NC | 91 | 20.1% | 38.9% |
| Chowan County, NC | 79 | 15.9% | 33.0% |
| Gates County, NC | 70 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Southampton County, VA | 52 | 12.7% | — |
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 Hertford County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Hertford County's poverty rate was 22.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Hertford County ranks 10th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hertford 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 Hertford 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 Hertford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.