About one in three people with a credit file in Wilson County, North Carolina, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Wilson County, 36.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wilson County's score
In Wilson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 89.0. People with a credit card behind: 9.2%, August 2025, higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 73.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wilson 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.
Wilson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (15.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.2% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.8% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 72.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.0% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.8 · 202556th percentile
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- 69.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.7% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,252 · 202463rd percentile
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- 61.2 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th 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 Wilson 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 Wilson County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wilson County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wilson County had its largest rise, from 20.9% in 2004 to 26.1% in 2009.
In Wilson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Wilson County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wilson County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 15.2% in 2011 to 16.8% in 2012; 18.0% in 2014 to 19.6% in 2015.
The share of households in Wilson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 18.1%
Low on the chart: 12.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wilson County, North Carolina.
How Wilson County has changed
Wilson County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 76,140 in 2004 to 80,664 in 2009.
Wilson County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 80,664 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wilson County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Wilson County had its largest rise, from 35,361 in 1995 to 38,782 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Wilson County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 38,782 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wilson County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,066 | 2024 $62,252 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Wilson County's history
1855
Established February 13, 1855 from parts of Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash and Wayne counties. Wikipedia
2008
A tornado in November 2008 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 81,234. The 2020 Census counted 78,784, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in October 2016 did $32.3 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in August 2024 did $2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wilson County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wilson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wilson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wilson County ranks 2nd of the seven; Edgecombe County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgecombe County, NC | 99 | 21.1% | 39.1% |
| Wilson County, NC | 88 | 17.6% | 31.2% |
| Pitt County, NC | 83 | 19.8% | 23.9% |
| Wayne County, NC | 80 | 19.3% | 30.0% |
| Greene County, NC | 75 | 19.9% | 27.6% |
| Nash County, NC | 72 | 12.5% | 28.4% |
| 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 Wilson County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Wilson County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 25th 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, Wilson County ranks 15th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wilson 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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Wilson Community Improvement Association, Inc.
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.
Download the CSV for Wilson 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 Wilson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.