In Polk County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Polk County, 16.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 50.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.0. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,525 · 202430th percentile
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- 40.9 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 35.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 24.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people64.8 · 202516th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 32.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Polk County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 18.3% in 2004 to 27.3% in 2009.
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2011 to 9.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 9.7%
Low on the chart: 4.4% 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, Polk County, North Carolina.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population had its largest rise, from 16,014 in 1994 to 18,024 in 1999.
Polk County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20,320
High on the chart: 20,531 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Polk County rose by about half to 5,598, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 5,598. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,695 | 2024 $74,525 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Polk County's history
1855
Formed in 1855 from parts of Henderson and Rutherford counties. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,510. The 2020 Census counted 19,328, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A debris flow in May 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $15 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Polk County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 2nd of the five; Rutherford County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County, NC | 75 | 14.8% | 37.0% |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 66 | 12.5% | 22.1% |
| Greenville County, SC | 43 | 9.9% | 19.2% |
| Henderson County, NC | 31 | 9.8% | 26.8% |
| Polk County, NC | 23 | 12.3% | 27.3% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 74th 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, Polk County ranks 92nd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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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Pisgah Legal Services
Legal aid
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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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.