About three in ten people with a credit file in Person County, North Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Person County, 30.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Person County's score
In Person County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.7. People with a credit card behind: 9.4%, August 2025, higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 71.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Person 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.
Person County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.3% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 71.0 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 rent33.4% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 65.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.9% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,520 · 202469th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.1% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110.7 · 202541st percentile
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- 28.2 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 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Person 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 Person County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Person County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Person County had its largest rise, from 20.4% in 2004 to 26.8% in 2009.
In Person County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Person County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Person County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.0% in 2018 to 14.5% in 2019.
The share of households in Person County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20.5%
High on the chart: 20.7% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Person County, North Carolina.
How Person County has changed
Person County's population rose by about half to 40,143, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 35,155. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Person County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Person County had its largest drop, from 11,623 in 2005 to 9,718 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Person County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 30% since
High on the chart: 12,885 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Person County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,983 | 2024 $60,520 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Person County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 39,464. The 2020 Census counted 39,097, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
Hail in July 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Person County. FEMA
Person County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Person County, in North Carolina and Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Person County ranks 3rd of the six; Halifax County is highest, at 38.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County, VA | 85 | 15.0% | 38.4% |
| Person County, NC | 69 | 14.3% | 30.2% |
| Granville County, NC | 67 | 13.5% | 23.8% |
| Caswell County, NC | 60 | 16.8% | 32.2% |
| Durham County, NC | 42 | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| Orange County, NC | 22 | 12.4% | 11.8% |
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 Person County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Person County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 51st 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, Person County ranks 36th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Person 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 Person 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 Person County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.