Unemployment in Mitchell County, North Carolina, is lower than in 58% of U.S. counties
In Mitchell County, 3.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 58% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mitchell County's score
In Mitchell County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 64.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 31.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 40 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mitchell 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, Mitchell County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($58,182, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,182 · 202475th percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 37.2 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 rent13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 34.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.8% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people40 · 20255th 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County, 26.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mitchell County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mitchell County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 27.4% in 2004 to 34.3% in 2009.
In Mitchell County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 38% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Mitchell County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.8% in 2021 to 14.3% in 2022.
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mitchell County, North Carolina.
How Mitchell County has changed
Mitchell County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 15,928 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mitchell County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County had its largest drop, from 6,056 in 2005 to 5,045 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 6,340 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mitchell County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,290 | 2024 $58,182 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Mitchell County's history
1861
Formed in 1861 from parts of Burke County, Caldwell County, McDowell County, Watauga County, and Yancey County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 17,245. The 2020 Census counted 14,903, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A flash flood in January 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in June 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $30 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mitchell County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mitchell County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mitchell County, in North Carolina and Tennessee, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mitchell County ranks 5th of the six; Unicoi County is highest, at 37.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, TN | 85 | 16.1% | 34.5% |
| Unicoi County, TN | 71 | 14.4% | 37.8% |
| McDowell County, NC | 61 | 15.5% | 36.2% |
| Yancey County, NC | 45 | 14.5% | 35.9% |
| Mitchell County, NC | 39 | 13.5% | 34.3% |
| Avery County, NC | 36 | 15.8% | 28.0% |
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 Mitchell County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Mitchell County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 59th 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, Mitchell County ranks 81st of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.