About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Jackson County, North Carolina, is not working
In Jackson County, 26.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 66.0. About one in six people (15.8%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 53.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (31.4, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance15.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,044 · 202464th percentile
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- 53.3 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 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.9% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 52.1 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people31.4 · 20252nd 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.0% in 2013 to 11.9% in 2014.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.2%
High on the chart: 12.6% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, North Carolina.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 32,420 in 1999 to 36,555 in 2004.
Jackson County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45,281, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 26,794. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County doubled to 19,262, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 19,262. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,061 | 2024 $62,044 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Jackson County's history
1996
Hail in May 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in August 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Lightning in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 43,109, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Jackson County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 4th of the six; Swain County is highest, at 38.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County, NC | 63 | 15.6% | 38.0% |
| Oconee County, SC | 52 | 16.1% | 27.3% |
| Jackson County, NC | 50 | 16.9% | 29.1% |
| Haywood County, NC | 50 | 13.6% | 32.2% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 44 | 12.0% | 27.3% |
| Macon County, NC | 39 | 12.2% | 32.6% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 29th 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, Jackson County ranks 61st of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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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Pisgah Legal Services
Legal aid
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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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.