Sampson County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.0 | 59,601 people · 32nd most distressed in North Carolina
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Sampson County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.0 — 757th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within North Carolina, it ranks 32nd of 100 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sampson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 79.5 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 79.5
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 76
Child Poverty Rate 82
Debt & Delinquency 76.0
Debt in Collections 75
Medical Debt 60
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 89
Credit Card Delinquency 96
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 38
Community Vulnerability 64.2
Uninsured Rate 90
Disability Rate 38
Housing Cost Burden 48.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 58
Rent-to-Income Ratio 47
Employment & Wages 36.6
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 24
Business Formation Rate 34

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Sampson County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sampson County
Sampson County, NC 61.0 Elevated —
Wayne County, NC 66.9 Serious +6.0
Duplin County, NC 66.8 Serious +5.8
Cumberland County, NC 65.7 Serious +4.8
Bladen County, NC 63.1 Elevated +2.2
Harnett County, NC 52.5 Elevated -8.5
Johnston County, NC 46.4 Normal -14.6
Pender County, NC 44.4 Normal -16.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sampson County
Linn County, OR 61.0 Elevated +0.0
Taney County, MO 60.9 Elevated -0.0
Oktibbeha County, MS 60.9 Elevated -0.1
Orange County, TX 60.9 Elevated -0.1
Randolph County, NC 61.0 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Sampson County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Sampson County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Sampson County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Sampson County, North Carolina?

    Sampson County has a County Distress Index score of 61.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 757th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 32nd in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sampson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sampson County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 79.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Sampson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sampson County (61.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Wayne County, NC (66.9); Duplin County, NC (66.8); Cumberland County, NC (65.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Sampson County?

    Sampson County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 59,601 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.