In Pender County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Pender County, 18.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pender County's score
In Pender County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 34.5. The typical household earns $79,480 a year (2024), more than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pender 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, Pender County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.8 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 rent23.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 35.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89 · 202530th percentile
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- 35.2 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 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,480 · 202421st 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 Pender 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 Pender County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pender County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pender County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pender County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pender County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2011 to 14.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Pender County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 11.8%
Low on the chart: 11.2% 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, Pender County, North Carolina.
How Pender County has changed
Pender County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 59,274 in 2019 to 70,077 in 2024.
Pender County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 70,077, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 19,812. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pender County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pender County more than doubled to 16,071, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 16,071. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pender County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,293 | 2024 $79,480 |
The table uses 3.6% 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 Pender County's history
1875
Formed in 1875 from New Hanover County. Wikipedia
2004
A tornado in August 2004 did $1.3 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Lightning in July 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 60,203, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
Lightning in June 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1984
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pender County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pender County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Pender County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pender County ranks 6th of the eight; Columbus County is highest, at 39.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Duplin County, NC | 77 | 21.1% | 28.4% |
| Onslow County, NC | 60 | 11.5% | 23.7% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 42 | 9.0% | 31.9% |
| New Hanover County, NC | 41 | 11.7% | 20.4% |
| Pender County, NC | 31 | 10.4% | 25.6% |
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 Pender County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Pender County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 86th 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, Pender County ranks 89th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pender 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 Pender 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 Pender County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.