Unemployment in Johnston County, North Carolina, is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Johnston County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnston County's score
In Johnston County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 28.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnston 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.
Johnston County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 55.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.4% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.1% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.2 · 202549th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,688 · 202411th percentile
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- 28.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th 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 Johnston 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 Johnston County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnston County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Johnston County had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 2004 to 19.8% in 2009.
In Johnston County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Johnston County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnston County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Johnston County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Johnston County, North Carolina.
How Johnston County has changed
Johnston County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 210,957 in 2019 to 249,794 in 2024.
Johnston County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 249,794, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 65,281. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnston County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Johnston County had its largest rise in the last span, from 50,952 in 2020 to 65,551 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Johnston County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 65,551, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 41,242. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnston County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,110 | 2024 $88,688 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Johnston County's history
1770
Tobacco warehouse erected in Smithfield. Wikipedia
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $24.7 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in August 2019 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 215,999, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnston County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnston County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Johnston County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnston County ranks 6th of the seven; Sampson County is highest, at 31.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, NC | 88 | 17.6% | 31.2% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Wayne County, NC | 80 | 19.3% | 30.0% |
| Nash County, NC | 72 | 12.5% | 28.4% |
| Harnett County, NC | 54 | 13.2% | 25.7% |
| Johnston County, NC | 45 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
| Wake County, NC | 17 | 8.6% | 11.2% |
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 Johnston County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Johnston County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 90th 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, Johnston County ranks 68th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.