About one in 11 people in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Mecklenburg County, 8.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mecklenburg County's score
In Mecklenburg County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 75.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.9. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (15.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mecklenburg 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.
Even so, Mecklenburg County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.7%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.2 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.5% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 44.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people80.9 · 202526th percentile
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- 30.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,698 · 202410th percentile
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- 30.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mecklenburg County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mecklenburg County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mecklenburg County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.3% in 2010 to 9.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Mecklenburg County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.7%
Low on the chart: 7.2% 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, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
How Mecklenburg County has changed
Mecklenburg County's population had its largest rise, from 772,949 in 2004 to 908,704 in 2009.
Mecklenburg County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,206,285, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 395,709. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Mecklenburg County had its largest rise, from 535,387 in 2010 to 637,156 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Mecklenburg County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 791,613, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 521,052. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,248 | 2024 $90,698 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Mecklenburg County's history
1997
A flash flood in July 1997 did $8.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in July 2003 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,115,482, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Colonial Pipeline oil spill. Wikipedia
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mecklenburg County. FEMA
Mecklenburg County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Mecklenburg County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, one scores higher. Of the group, Mecklenburg County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Gaston County gets the largest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston County, NC | 73 | 12.4% | 25.6% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 49 | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| York County, SC | 42 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 39 | 10.2% | 22.8% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 38 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Iredell County, NC | 36 | 9.6% | 17.8% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 29 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
| Union County, NC | 15 | 7.6% | 13.6% |
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 Mecklenburg County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Mecklenburg County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 85th 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, Mecklenburg County ranks 65th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mecklenburg 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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Ada Jenkins Families and Careers Development Center, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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DreamKey Partners
HUD-approved housing counselor
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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Charlotte, NC
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy
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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.