Gaston County, North Carolina
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 3.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 10%).
Main Findings
Gaston County, North Carolina is more distressed than 74% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 30% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Labor.
- 32nd of 100 counties in North Carolina on the County Distress Index — 74 · high county distress, more distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 30% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 32% — national median 23%, ranked at the 80th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 11% — national median 8%, ranked at the 71st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 50-point drop to Lincoln County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
Gaston County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
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 Gaston County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Gaston County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Gaston | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 82 · Rank 469 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 82nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 87th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 31% | 28% | 23% | 77th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 56 · Rank 1,252 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 32% | 27% | 23% | 80th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 94 | 87 | 126 | 33rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 92 · Rank 124 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 30% | 22% | 21% | 97th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 20% | 18% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,784 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 20% | 22% | 21% | 49th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 4% | 4% | 4% | 43rd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 47 · Rank 1,706 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 16% | 20% | 17% | 44th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 14% | 17% | 16% | 35th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 14% | 13% | 43rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 10% | 8% | 71st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. 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 five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
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 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Gaston County data.
Draft wire copy 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County is more distressed than 74% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Gaston scores 74 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 74% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within North Carolina, Gaston ranks 32nd of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Gaston. A rent-to-income ratio of 30% — above the national median of 21%.
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
What is Gaston County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Gaston County's distress score?
How does Gaston County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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