Wilkes County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.4 | 66,013 people · 40th most distressed in North Carolina
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Wilkes County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.4 — 957th 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 40th of 100 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Wilkes County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 72.7 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 72.7
Poverty Rate 69
Income vs. State Median 85
Child Poverty Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 71.7
Uninsured Rate 74
Disability Rate 70
Debt & Delinquency 59.2
Debt in Collections 59
Medical Debt 55
Student Loan Delinquency 66
Auto Loan Delinquency 72
Credit Card Delinquency 77
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 27
Employment & Wages 47.1
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 32
Business Formation Rate 68
Housing Cost Burden 41.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 39
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 30
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 27
Homeownership Rate 53
Rent-to-Income Ratio 57

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Wilkes County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wilkes County
Wilkes County, NC 58.4 Elevated —
Alleghany County, NC 60.5 Elevated +2.1
Caldwell County, NC 57.5 Elevated -0.9
Yadkin County, NC 52.3 Elevated -6.1
Surry County, NC 51.7 Elevated -6.7
Ashe County, NC 50.4 Elevated -8.0
Watauga County, NC 49.3 Normal -9.1
Alexander County, NC 48.2 Normal -10.2
Iredell County, NC 35.8 Normal -22.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wilkes County
Jasper County, MO 58.4 Elevated 0.0
Chemung County, NY 58.4 Elevated -0.0
Montgomery County, AL 58.4 Elevated +0.0
Cherokee County, SC 58.4 Elevated +0.1
Douglas County, GA 58.3 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Wilkes County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Wilkes County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Wilkes County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Wilkes County, North Carolina?

    Wilkes County has a County Distress Index score of 58.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 957th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 40th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wilkes County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wilkes County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 72.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Wilkes County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wilkes County (58.4) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Alleghany County, NC (60.5); Caldwell County, NC (57.5); Yadkin County, NC (52.3).

  • 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 Wilkes County?

    Wilkes County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 66,013 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.