About one in five people in Sampson County, North Carolina, lives below the poverty line
In Sampson County, 19.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sampson County's score
In Sampson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 90.2. People with a credit card behind: 10.3%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 77.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sampson 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.
Sampson County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (104, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.8% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 77.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,628 · 202481st percentile
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- 63.8 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 rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 57.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104 · 202538th 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 Sampson 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 Sampson 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
Sampson County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sampson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sampson County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sampson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 19.6% in 2013 to 22.6% in 2014.
The share of households in Sampson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 20.2%
Low on the chart: 13.2% 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, Sampson County, North Carolina.
How Sampson County has changed
Sampson County's population had its largest rise, from 52,708 in 1994 to 59,325 in 1999.
Sampson County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 60,404
High on the chart: 63,127 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sampson County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Sampson County rose most sharply from its first year (15,550 in 1990) to 17,253 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Sampson County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 18,961 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sampson County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,911 | 2024 $55,628 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Sampson County's history
1784
Established in April 1784 from neighboring Duplin County land. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in April 1957 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 63,431. The 2020 Census counted 59,036, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1984
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sampson County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sampson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Sampson County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sampson County ranks 3rd of the eight; Bladen County is highest, at 36.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 89 | 16.5% | 33.1% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Wayne County, NC | 80 | 19.3% | 30.0% |
| Duplin County, NC | 77 | 21.1% | 28.4% |
| Harnett County, NC | 54 | 13.2% | 25.7% |
| Johnston County, NC | 45 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
| Pender County, NC | 31 | 10.4% | 25.6% |
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 Sampson County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Sampson County's poverty rate was 19.1% in 2024, 21st 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, Sampson County ranks 20th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sampson 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 Sampson 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 Sampson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.