Unemployment in Hyde County, North Carolina, is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Hyde County, 6.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hyde County's score
In Hyde County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.9. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hyde 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.
Hyde County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (21.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.0% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.7% · 202489th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.4% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability19.3% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,386 · 202485th percentile
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- 79.0 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 rent25.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 75.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit 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 behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.9% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people21.7 · 20255th or lower 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 Hyde 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 Hyde County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hyde County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hyde County had its largest drop, from 36.3% in 2009 to 23.7% in 2014.
In Hyde County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Hyde County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hyde County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.0% in 2010 to 25.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Hyde County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen to 22.5%
Low on the chart: 14.6% 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, Hyde County, North Carolina.
How Hyde County has changed
Hyde County's population had its largest drop, from 5,481 in 2014 to 4,676 in 2019.
Hyde County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 5,992 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hyde County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Hyde County had its largest drop, from 2,160 in 2015 to 1,684 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Hyde County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,316 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hyde County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.4% | 2024 20.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,736 | 2024 $53,386 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Hyde County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 9,278. The 2020 Census counted 4,589, 49% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A rip current in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1988
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hyde County. FEMA
Hyde County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hyde County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hyde County ranks 4th of the five; Washington County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NC | 96 | 19.9% | 44.7% |
| Hyde County, NC | 88 | 20.7% | 27.4% |
| Tyrrell County, NC | 72 | 19.5% | 34.8% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 68 | 16.1% | 33.2% |
| Dare County, NC | 17 | 8.4% | 19.4% |
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 Hyde County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Hyde County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 10th 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, Hyde County ranks 14th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hyde 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.
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 Hyde County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.