McDowell County, North Carolina
Above the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
McDowell County, North Carolina ranks 1,487th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 12% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 1,487th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 52.0 · moderate county distress, 60th in North Carolina.
- 12% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 75th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Credit card delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 28% — national median 23%, ranked at the 68th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Default & Legal domain score 42 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Yancey County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
McDowell County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind McDowell County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. McDowell County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | McDowell | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 65 · Rank 1,043 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 57th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 28% | 23% | 60th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 42 · Rank 1,896 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 27% | 23% | 68th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 65 | 87 | 126 | 17th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 36 · Rank 2,178 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 46th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 19% | 18% | 25th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 49 · Rank 1,534 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 49th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 68 · Rank 876 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 21% | 18% | 61st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 17% | 16% | 63rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 15% | 14% | 62nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 10% | 8% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite McDowell County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MARION, N.C. — McDowell County ranks 1,487th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 52.0 out of 100 gives McDowell a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,486 counties rank more distressed. Within North Carolina, McDowell ranks 60th of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in McDowell. 12% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is McDowell County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives McDowell County's distress score?
How does McDowell County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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