Unemployment in Pamlico County, North Carolina, is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Pamlico County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pamlico County's score
In Pamlico County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 71.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 30.5. About one in 11 renters (9.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pamlico 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, Pamlico County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (8.6%, August 2025) and people with a disability (21.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,059 · 202461st percentile
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- 58.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.0% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 47.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people56.3 · 202512th percentile
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- 30.5 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 rent9.3% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th 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 Pamlico 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 Pamlico County, 30.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pamlico County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pamlico County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Pamlico County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pamlico County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.5% in 2011 to 12.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Pamlico County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.8%
Low on the chart: 6.7% 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, Pamlico County, North Carolina.
How Pamlico County has changed
Pamlico County's population had its largest rise, from 11,926 in 1994 to 12,898 in 1999.
Pamlico County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12,550
High on the chart: 13,136 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pamlico County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pamlico County nearly doubled to 4,072, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,072. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pamlico County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,730 | 2024 $63,059 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Pamlico County's history
1965
A tornado in March 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in November 1988 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 13,144. The 2020 Census counted 12,276, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
Lightning in July 2010 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1988
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pamlico County. FEMA
Pamlico County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Pamlico County score higher than it does. Of the group, Pamlico County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County, NC | 68 | 16.1% | 33.2% |
| Craven County, NC | 59 | 12.7% | 29.0% |
| Pamlico County, NC | 48 | 17.6% | 33.5% |
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 Pamlico County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Pamlico County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 25th 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, Pamlico County ranks 66th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pamlico 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 Pamlico 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 Pamlico County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.