About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Onslow County, North Carolina, is not working
In Onslow County, 23.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 67% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Onslow County's score
In Onslow County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 66.0. About one in five renters (21.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 68% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Onslow 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.
Onslow County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (11.5%, 2024) and median household income ($71,800, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.0 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 rent21.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 63.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 57.5 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 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.9% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103 · 202537th percentile
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- 46.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,800 · 202436th 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 Onslow 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 Onslow County, 10.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Onslow County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Onslow County had its largest rise, from 15.4% in 2014 to 20.0% in 2019.
In Onslow County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about nine times its 1969 level, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Onslow County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about nine times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Onslow County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 9.7% in 2013 to 10.7% in 2014; 11.3% in 2017 to 12.3% in 2018.
The share of households in Onslow County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.1%
High on the chart: 13.0% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Onslow County, North Carolina.
How Onslow County has changed
Onslow County's population had its largest rise, from 128,297 in 1984 to 149,174 in 1989.
Onslow County's population doubled to 212,954, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 212,954 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Onslow County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Onslow County nearly doubled to 53,881, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 40,159. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Onslow County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,570 | 2024 $71,800 |
The table uses 4.0% 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 Onslow County's history
1734
Formed in 1734. Wikipedia
1986
A tornado in July 1986 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $9.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Lightning in July 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 204,576, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
Lightning in April 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1996
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Onslow County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Onslow County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Onslow County, two score higher. Of the group, Onslow County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jones County gets the largest, at 35.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County, NC | 79 | 17.3% | 35.3% |
| Duplin County, NC | 77 | 21.1% | 28.4% |
| Onslow County, NC | 60 | 11.5% | 23.7% |
| Pender County, NC | 31 | 10.4% | 25.6% |
| Carteret County, NC | 24 | 9.5% | 25.9% |
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 Onslow County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Onslow County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 80th 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, Onslow County ranks 52nd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Onslow 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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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 Onslow 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 Onslow County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.