McDowell County, North Carolina
Above the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
McDowell County, North Carolina is more distressed than 60% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 12% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Default & Legal.
- 52nd of 100 counties in North Carolina on the County Distress Index — 60 · moderate-high county distress, more distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
- 12% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 76th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 25% — national median 21%, ranked at the 72nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 21% — national median 21%, ranked at the 56th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 40-point drop to Avery County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
McDowell 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 Safety Net & Buffer.
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 McDowell County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. McDowell County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | McDowell | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 65 · Rank 1,043 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 57th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 28% | 23% | 60th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 42 · Rank 1,896 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 27% | 23% | 68th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 65 | 87 | 126 | 17th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,651 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 56th | 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 | 16% | 20% | 18% | 39th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 57 · Rank 1,282 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) | 25% | 22% | 21% | 72nd | 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% | 42nd | 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 71 · Rank 746 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 20% | 17% | 68th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 17% | 16% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 14% | 13% | 68th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 10% | 8% | 76th | 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 McDowell County data.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MARION, N.C. — McDowell County is more distressed than 60% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
McDowell scores 60 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 60% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-high county distress. Within North Carolina, McDowell ranks 52nd 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 safety net & buffer as the primary driver in McDowell. 12% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%.
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 McDowell County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives McDowell County's distress score?
How does McDowell County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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