In Rowan County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Rowan County, 23.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rowan County's score
In Rowan County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 76.3. About one in four renters (23.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 80% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rowan 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.
Rowan County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (72.5, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 76.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.2% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,555 · 202453rd percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.7% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.5 · 202520th 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 Rowan 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 Rowan County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rowan County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rowan County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 28.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Rowan County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rowan County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.2% in 2010 to 13.8% in 2012, 1.8 points each year.
The share of households in Rowan County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.0%
High on the chart: 16.3% 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, Rowan County, North Carolina.
How Rowan County has changed
Rowan County's population had its largest rise, from 118,552 in 1994 to 129,436 in 1999.
Rowan County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 153,384, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 140,004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rowan County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rowan County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 51,121. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rowan County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,468 | 2024 $65,555 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Rowan County's history
1753
Established on March 27, 1753, from the upper part of Anson County. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 146,875, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rowan County. FEMA
Rowan County beside its neighbors
Rowan County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Rowan County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | 68 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Davidson County, NC | 51 | 11.2% | 25.9% |
| Stanly County, NC | 44 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 38 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Iredell County, NC | 36 | 9.6% | 17.8% |
| Davie County, NC | 36 | 10.4% | 22.9% |
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 Rowan County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Rowan County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 53rd 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, Rowan County ranks 37th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rowan 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.
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 Rowan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.