About two in five people with a credit file in Richmond County, North Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Richmond County, 39.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Richmond County's score
In Richmond County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.6. About three in five people (58.3%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 84.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Richmond 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.
Richmond County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (92.1, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.3% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 84.3 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 82.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.5% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.9% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,515 · 202490th percentile
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- 69.5 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 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 62.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.1 · 202531st 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Richmond County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Richmond County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 30.8% in 2004 to 38.2% in 2009.
In Richmond County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 38.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Richmond County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Richmond County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.7% in 2009 to 17.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Richmond County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 28.6%
High on the chart: 29.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Richmond County, North Carolina.
How Richmond County has changed
Richmond County's population had its largest rise, from 41,449 in 1974 to 44,784 in 1979.
Richmond County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 46,537 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Richmond County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Richmond County had its largest drop, from 16,219 in 2000 to 15,029 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Richmond County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 13,571
High on the chart: 17,550 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Richmond County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 21.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,314 | 2024 $50,515 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Richmond County's history
1779
Formed in 1779 from a portion of Anson County. Wikipedia
1850
Naval stores industry harvesting turpentine from longleaf pines began around 1850. Wikipedia
1869
Richmond Manufacturing Company mill burned, rebuilt as Great Falls Mill in 1869. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 46,639. The 2020 Census counted 42,946, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $21.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Richmond County. FEMA
Richmond County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Richmond County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Richmond County ranks 3rd of the six; Marlboro County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro County, SC | 98 | 30.2% | 40.5% |
| Scotland County, NC | 94 | 22.9% | 39.2% |
| Richmond County, NC | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Anson County, NC | 92 | 21.3% | 33.5% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 62 | 16.0% | 28.8% |
| Moore County, NC | 19 | 10.9% | 23.2% |
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 Richmond County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Richmond County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 5th 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, Richmond County ranks 9th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Richmond 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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Sandhills Community Action Program, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Richmond 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 Richmond County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.