About one in 10 people in Union County, North Carolina, has a disability
In Union County, 9.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Union County's score
In Union County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 44.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Union 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.
Union County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 44.5 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.4% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 24.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.8 · 202516th percentile
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- 14.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.6% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.1% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability9.6% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$107,681 · 20243rd 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 Union 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 Union County, 13.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Union County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Union County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 11.1% in 2004 to 14.2% in 2009.
In Union County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 13.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Union County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.4% in 2011 to 8.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Union County, North Carolina.
How Union County has changed
Union County's population had its largest rise, from 151,452 in 2004 to 198,533 in 2009.
Union County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 263,386, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 68,095. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Union County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Union County had its largest rise in the last span, from 62,878 in 2020 to 78,177 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Union County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 78,177, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 51,015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Union County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 7.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,058 | 2024 $107,681 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Union County's history
1842
Formed in 1842 from parts of Anson County and Mecklenburg County. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 238,267, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Union County. FEMA
Union County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Union County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Union County ranks 6th of the seven; Chesterfield County is highest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anson County, NC | 92 | 21.3% | 33.5% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 91 | 18.5% | 35.8% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 49 | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| Stanly County, NC | 44 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 39 | 10.2% | 22.8% |
| 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 Union County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Union County's poverty rate was 7.6% in 2024, 99th 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, Union County ranks 97th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Union 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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Monroe-union County Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Union County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.