Unemployment in Yadkin County, North Carolina, is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties
In Yadkin County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Yadkin County's score
In Yadkin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 62.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 35.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Yadkin 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.
Even so, Yadkin County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.2%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (12.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,012 · 202452nd percentile
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- 51.3 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 rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 40.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84.7 · 202527th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th 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 Yadkin 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 Yadkin County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Yadkin County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Yadkin County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Yadkin County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Yadkin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.6% in 2018 to 11.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Yadkin County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.3%
High on the chart: 15.2% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Yadkin County, North Carolina.
How Yadkin County has changed
Yadkin County's population had its largest rise, from 32,698 in 1994 to 35,805 in 1999.
Yadkin County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37,995
High on the chart: 38,293 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Yadkin County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Yadkin County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 9,954, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 10,286 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Yadkin County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,606 | 2024 $66,012 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Yadkin County's history
1850
Created in 1850 from Surry County to satisfy local political divisions. Wikipedia
2000
Unifi Manufacturing reduced local textile presence late 1990s-2000s. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 38,406. The 2020 Census counted 37,214, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
A tornado in May 2017 did $9.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yadkin County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Yadkin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Yadkin County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Yadkin County ranks 3rd of the six; Wilkes County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surry County, NC | 61 | 16.7% | 30.4% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 60 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 59 | 15.3% | 33.5% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 44 | 14.5% | 29.2% |
| Iredell County, NC | 36 | 9.6% | 17.8% |
| Davie County, NC | 36 | 10.4% | 22.9% |
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 Yadkin County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Yadkin County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 49th 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, Yadkin County ranks 71st of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Yadkin 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 Yadkin 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 Yadkin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.