Vance County, North Carolina
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Vance County. Population: 42,301 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Vance County, NC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 76.1 — 47th 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 5th of 100 counties. It scores higher than all 4 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Vance County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Housing Cost Burden
Employment & Wages
How Vance County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vance County, NC | 76.1 | Serious Stress | — |
| Warren County, NC | 72.4 | Serious Stress | -3.8 |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 58.5 | Elevated | -17.6 |
| Franklin County, NC | 53.7 | Elevated | -22.5 |
| Granville County, NC | 49.3 | Normal | -26.9 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton County, GA | 76.1 | Serious Stress | 0.0 |
| DeSoto County, FL | 76.2 | Serious Stress | +0.0 |
| Uvalde County, TX | 76.2 | Serious Stress | +0.1 |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 76.4 | Serious Stress | +0.3 |
| Telfair County, GA | 75.8 | Serious Stress | -0.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Vance County as a CSV file.
Resources
Vance County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Vance County, North Carolina?
Vance County has a County Distress Index score of 76.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 47th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 5th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.
What drives financial distress in Vance County?
The primary driver of distress in Vance County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Vance County compare to neighboring counties?
Vance County (76.1) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Warren County, NC (72.4); Mecklenburg County, VA (58.5); Franklin County, NC (53.7).
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 Vance County?
Vance County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 42,301 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.