Unemployment in Stanly County, North Carolina, is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Stanly County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stanly County's score
In Stanly County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 70.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 33.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stanly 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.
Even so, Stanly County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.6% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,791 · 202455th percentile
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- 40.0 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 rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 35.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.8 · 202510th percentile
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- 33.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd 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 Stanly 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 Stanly County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stanly County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Stanly County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 20.2% in 2004 to 28.0% in 2009.
In Stanly County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Stanly County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stanly County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 8.6% in 2010 to 11.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Stanly County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.4%
High on the chart: 16.0% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stanly County, North Carolina.
How Stanly County has changed
Stanly County's population rose by more than half to 67,326, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 67,326. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stanly County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Stanly County had its largest rise in the last span, from 18,474 in 2020 to 23,791 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Stanly County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 18,048 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stanly County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,566 | 2024 $64,791 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Stanly County's history
1841
Formed in 1841 from the part of Montgomery County west of the Pee Dee River. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in September 1999 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in June 2003 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A thunderstorm in June 2013 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $3.63 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 62,504, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stanly County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stanly County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Stanly County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stanly County ranks 4th of the seven; Anson County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anson County, NC | 92 | 21.3% | 33.5% |
| Rowan County, NC | 68 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 62 | 16.0% | 28.8% |
| Davidson County, NC | 51 | 11.2% | 25.9% |
| Stanly County, NC | 44 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 38 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Union County, NC | 15 | 7.6% | 13.6% |
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 Stanly County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Stanly County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 67th 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, Stanly County ranks 73rd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stanly 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 Stanly 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 Stanly County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.