In Washington County, North Carolina, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 45 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.0. People with a credit card behind: 11.8%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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.
Washington County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.8% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind15.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score56.6% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 85.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.4% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability26.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,253 · 202489th percentile
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- 85.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.9% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people205.4 · 202576th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 63.7 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 income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th 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 Washington 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 Washington County, 28.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washington County rose most in two steps: 29.3% in 2004 to 34.2% in 2009; 39.8% in 2019 to 44.7% in 2024.
In Washington County, benefit checks overtook pay in 2024, a bigger share of income than across North Carolina
In Washington County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 44.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.6% in 2011 to 26.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 33.9%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 22.6% 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, Washington County, North Carolina.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest drop, from 12,253 in 2014 to 11,143 in 2019.
Washington County's population fell by about a quarter to 10,654, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 14,895 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest rise, from 3,430 in 2005 to 3,912 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Washington County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 3,912 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.2% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,709 | 2024 $51,253 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Washington County's history
1799
Formed 1799 from the western third of Tyrrell County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 14,801. The 2020 Census counted 11,003, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flood in September 2010 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Washington County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Washington County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (44.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NC | 96 | 19.9% | 44.7% |
| Bertie County, NC | 91 | 20.1% | 38.9% |
| Hyde County, NC | 88 | 20.7% | 27.4% |
| Martin County, NC | 81 | 19.7% | 43.9% |
| Tyrrell County, NC | 72 | 19.5% | 34.8% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 68 | 16.1% | 33.2% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 14th 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, Washington County ranks 4th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.