In Perquimans County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Perquimans County, 17.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Perquimans County's score
In Perquimans County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 62.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Perquimans 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, Perquimans County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (20.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.2% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,446 · 202437th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.8% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 48.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.7 · 202538th percentile
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- 35.0 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 working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 25.3 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th 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 Perquimans 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 Perquimans County, 28.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Perquimans County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Perquimans County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Perquimans County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Perquimans County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.9% in 2019 to 14.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Perquimans County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.7% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Perquimans County, North Carolina.
How Perquimans County has changed
Perquimans County's population had its largest rise, from 11,817 in 2004 to 13,273 in 2009.
Perquimans County's population rose by more than half to 13,460, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 13,460 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Perquimans County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Perquimans County rose by about a quarter to 2,262, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 2,262 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Perquimans County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.5% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,771 | 2024 $71,446 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Perquimans County's history
1984
A tornado in March 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in April 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 13,453. The 2020 Census counted 13,005, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
A tornado in April 2014 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in April 2014 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Perquimans County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Perquimans County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Perquimans County score higher than it does. Of the group, Perquimans County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowan County, NC | 79 | 15.9% | 33.0% |
| Gates County, NC | 70 | 14.3% | 29.9% |
| Pasquotank County, NC | 67 | 15.3% | 30.3% |
| Perquimans County, NC | 40 | 13.8% | 33.2% |
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 Perquimans County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Perquimans County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 56th 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, Perquimans County ranks 79th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Perquimans 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 Perquimans 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 Perquimans County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.