Duplin County, North Carolina
More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
Duplin County, North Carolina ranks 983rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 983rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 61.1 · moderate-high county distress, 34th in North Carolina.
- 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 15% — national median 8%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 37% — national median 23%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 60th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 96th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Pender County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
Duplin County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Duplin County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Duplin County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Duplin | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 91 · Rank 170 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 96th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 7% | 5% | 92nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 28% | 23% | 86th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 57 · Rank 1,245 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 27% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 77 | 87 | 126 | 23rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 51 · Rank 1,482 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 60th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 19% | 18% | 42nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 26 · Rank 2,269 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 26th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 80 · Rank 378 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 27% | 21% | 18% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 17% | 16% | 63rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 15% | 14% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 15% | 10% | 8% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Duplin County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
KENANSVILLE, N.C. — Duplin County ranks 983rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 61.1 out of 100 gives Duplin a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 982 counties rank more distressed. Within North Carolina, Duplin ranks 34th of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Duplin. 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
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