In Moore County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Moore County, 17.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Moore County's score
In Moore County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 38.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 22.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Moore 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.
Moore 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.
- 38.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
-
- 33.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.6% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
-
- 32.8 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.2% · fiscal year 202715th percentile
-
- 32.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,211 · 202414th percentile
-
- 22.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.9% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.8 · 202515th percentile
-
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 Moore 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 Moore County, 24.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Moore County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Moore County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Moore County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Moore County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.3% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Moore County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.6%
Low on the chart: 5.7% 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, Moore County, North Carolina.
How Moore County has changed
Moore County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 98,255 in 2019 to 108,417 in 2024.
Moore County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 108,417, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 53,331. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Moore County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Moore County nearly doubled to 42,751, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 42,751. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Moore County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,458 | 2024 $85,211 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Moore County's history
1784
Formed in 1784. Wikipedia
1900
Logging depletion. Wikipedia
2002
Lightning in May 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Lightning in August 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $8.34 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 99,727, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Moore County. FEMA
Moore County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Moore County, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Moore County ranks 8th of the nine; Richmond County is highest, at 38.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, NC | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 89 | 16.5% | 33.1% |
| Hoke County, NC | 78 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Randolph County, NC | 65 | 12.5% | 28.1% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 62 | 16.0% | 28.8% |
| Harnett County, NC | 54 | 13.2% | 25.7% |
| Lee County, NC | 52 | 13.5% | 26.9% |
| Moore County, NC | 19 | 10.9% | 23.2% |
| Chatham County, NC | 11 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
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 Moore County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Moore County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 84th 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, Moore County ranks 94th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Moore 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.
-
Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Moore County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.