About two in five people with a credit file in Robeson County, North Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Robeson County, 44.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Robeson County's score
In Robeson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 97.0. People with a credit card behind: 11.8%, August 2025, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Robeson 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.
Robeson County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (121, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.8% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score61.3% · second quarter of 202697th percentile
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- 88.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.7% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.8% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance14.2% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,927 · 202495th percentile
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- 87.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 72.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector44.8% · August 202598th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121 · 202547th percentile
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- 69.3 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 rent18.4% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202786th 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 Robeson 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 Robeson County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Robeson County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Robeson County had its largest rise, from 30.0% in 2004 to 35.1% in 2009.
In Robeson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 41.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Robeson County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 41.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Robeson County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 32.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 25.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Robeson County, North Carolina.
How Robeson County has changed
Robeson County's population had its largest drop, from 129,134 in 2014 to 117,847 in 2019.
Robeson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 132,984 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Robeson County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Robeson County rose most sharply from its first year (36,072 in 1990) to 41,648 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Robeson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 41,648 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Robeson County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.5% | 2024 23.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,083 | 2024 $46,927 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Robeson County's history
1976
A tornado in May 1976 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
NAFTA led to closure of 32 manufacturing facilities and loss of 6000 jobs 1995-2005. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in April 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 134,168. The 2020 Census counted 116,530, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1984
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Robeson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Robeson County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Robeson County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, one scores higher. Of the group, Robeson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro County, SC | 98 | 30.2% | 40.5% |
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Scotland County, NC | 94 | 22.9% | 39.2% |
| Dillon County, SC | 92 | 23.8% | 40.5% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 89 | 16.5% | 33.1% |
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Hoke County, NC | 78 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
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 Robeson County the poorest county in North Carolina?
Yes, Robeson County's poverty rate was 23.7% in 2024, the highest of 100 counties in North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Robeson County ranks 3rd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Robeson 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 Robeson 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 Robeson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.