In Wayne County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Wayne County, 25.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 82.6. People with a credit card behind: 8.2%, August 2025, higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 74.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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.
Wayne County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (111.2, 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.3% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 74.9 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 74.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.6% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance12.1% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,786 · 202471st percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.2% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.2 · 202541st percentile
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- 46.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wayne County had its largest rise, from 19.7% in 2004 to 24.6% in 2009.
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half to 19.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 16.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wayne County, North Carolina.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest rise, from 85,504 in 1969 to 91,807 in 1974.
Wayne County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 121,806 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County had its largest rise, from 41,319 in 1995 to 45,666 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 45,666 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.9% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,879 | 2024 $59,786 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Wayne County's history
1779
Established November 2, 1779 from western part of Dobbs County. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Swine production became dominant agricultural output. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 122,623. The 2020 Census counted 117,333, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $120.8 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in September 2018 did $20.93 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wayne County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wayne County ranks 4th of the seven; Lenoir County is highest, at 33.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, NC | 88 | 17.6% | 31.2% |
| Lenoir County, NC | 87 | 19.1% | 33.2% |
| Sampson County, NC | 82 | 19.1% | 31.5% |
| Wayne County, NC | 80 | 19.3% | 30.0% |
| Duplin County, NC | 77 | 21.1% | 28.4% |
| Greene County, NC | 75 | 19.9% | 27.6% |
| Johnston County, NC | 45 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 19th 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, Wayne County ranks 23rd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.