About one in 11 people in Orange County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Orange County, 9.1% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orange County's score
In Orange County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 90.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 10.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 45.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orange 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, Orange County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (30.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.7 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 rent30.8% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.4% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.1% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability9.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,872 · 202415th percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45.8 · 20258th 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 Orange 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 Orange County, 16.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orange County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Orange County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 11.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Orange County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.7% in 2011 to 8.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 5.2% 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, Orange County, North Carolina.
How Orange County has changed
Orange County's population had its largest rise, from 56,389 in 1969 to 71,077 in 1974.
Orange County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 152,877, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 119,320. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orange County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Orange County had its largest rise in the last span, from 69,795 in 2020 to 79,536 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Orange County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 79,536, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 58,904. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orange County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,915 | 2024 $83,872 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Orange County's history
1752
Formed in 1752 from parts of Bladen, Granville, and Johnston counties. Wikipedia
1771
Regulator movement. Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $26.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 148,696, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A thunderstorm in June 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orange County. FEMA
Orange County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Orange County, four score higher. Of the group, Orange County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Caswell County gets the largest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person County, NC | 69 | 14.3% | 30.2% |
| Caswell County, NC | 60 | 16.8% | 32.2% |
| Alamance County, NC | 56 | 13.8% | 25.0% |
| Durham County, NC | 42 | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| Orange County, NC | 22 | 12.4% | 11.8% |
| 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 Orange County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Orange County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 71st 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, Orange County ranks 93rd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orange 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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Centre for Home Ownership & Economic Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Empowerment Incorporated
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 Orange 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 Orange County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.