Scotland County, North Carolina
More than double the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 23.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Scotland County, North Carolina ranks 51st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 45% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
- 51st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Crisis zone, 5th in North Carolina.
- 45% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 99th percentile nationally.
- Poverty rate at 29% — national median 14%, ranked at the 99th percentile.
- Homeownership rate at 59% — national median 74%, ranked at the 6th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 76th percentile.
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while debt in collections runs at the 99th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
"Scotland County represents a new class of American economic distress — a place where people have jobs, but can't close the gap between what they earn and what they owe."
"What the CDI is seeing in Crisis-zone counties is that unemployment is no longer the driver. It's consumer credit stress showing up in places that look fine on a jobs chart."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
43% of children under 18 in Scotland County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Scotland County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Scotland County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Scotland | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 95 · Rank 15 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 45% | 27% | 23% | 99th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 11% | 4% | 4% | 91st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 96th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 13% | 7% | 5% | 99th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 10% | 8% | 76th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 41% | 28% | 23% | 97th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 75 · Rank 569 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 40% | 38% | 64th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 23% | 19% | 18% | 81st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 26% | 24% | 24% | 63rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 59% | 73% | 74% | 6th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 88 · Rank 129 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 71st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 29% | 15% | 14% | 99th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.76× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 5th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 43% | 21% | 18% | 99th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 17% | 16% | 68th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 39% | 30% | 27% | 92nd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 46 · Rank 1,684 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 119 | 87 | 126 | 46th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 41 · Rank 2,099 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 4.5× | 3.9× | 4.0× | 77th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 76th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 48th | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 19% | 2% | 4% | 99th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Scotland County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 164-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SCOTLAND, N.C.. — Scotland County ranks 51st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 81 out of 100 places Scotland in the "Crisis" zone, the highest-distress category on the index. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 50 rank worse. Within North Carolina, Scotland ranks fifth of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies consumer credit distress as the primary driver in Scotland. 45% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
"Scotland County represents a new class of American economic distress — a place where people have jobs, but can't close the gap between what they earn and what they owe." said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Scotland County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Scotland County's distress score?
How does Scotland County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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