About one in five people in Montgomery County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Montgomery County, 19.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.7. About one in eight people (12.5%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 80% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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.
Montgomery County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (57.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.0% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance12.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,356 · 202477th percentile
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- 72.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.0% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 61.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202647th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 41.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.5 · 202513th percentile
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- 36.6 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 rent11.8% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 22.0% in 2004 to 29.5% in 2009.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2021 to 18.6% in 2022.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 18.6%
Low on the chart: 10.2% 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, Montgomery County, North Carolina.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population had its largest rise, from 24,379 in 1994 to 26,430 in 1999.
Montgomery County's population rose 37% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 27,710 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 10,634 in 2005 to 8,469 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 11,826 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,294 | 2024 $57,356 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Montgomery County's history
1976
A tornado in May 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 27,798. The 2020 Census counted 25,751, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A thunderstorm in June 2013 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Montgomery County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 2nd of the six; Richmond County is highest, at 38.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, NC | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Randolph County, NC | 65 | 12.5% | 28.1% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 62 | 16.0% | 28.8% |
| Davidson County, NC | 51 | 11.2% | 25.9% |
| Stanly County, NC | 44 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Moore County, NC | 19 | 10.9% | 23.2% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 37th 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, Montgomery County ranks 45th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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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Sandhills Community Action Program, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.