Wilkes County, North Carolina
Above the national median for disability rate — and 10.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 2%).
Main Findings
Wilkes County, North Carolina is more distressed than 58% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 19% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 54th of 100 counties in North Carolina on the County Distress Index — 58 · moderate county distress, more distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
- 19% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 75th 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 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 68th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 59th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 30-point drop to Ashe County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
Wilkes County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. 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 Wilkes County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Wilkes County's value shown alongside NC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Wilkes | NC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 67 · Rank 973 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 72nd | 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 | 24% | 28% | 23% | 53rd | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 43 · Rank 1,860 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 26% | 27% | 23% | 59th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 83 | 87 | 126 | 27th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 43 · Rank 1,892 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 (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 14% | 20% | 18% | 26th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 54 · Rank 1,401 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) | 24% | 22% | 21% | 68th | 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% | 40th | 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 72 · Rank 729 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 20% | 17% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 19% | 17% | 16% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 14% | 13% | 67th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 10% | 8% | 70th | 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 Wilkes County data.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WILKESBORO, N.C. — Wilkes County is more distressed than 58% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Wilkes scores 58 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 58% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate county distress. Within North Carolina, Wilkes ranks 54th 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 Wilkes. 19% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
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 Wilkes County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Wilkes County's distress score?
How does Wilkes County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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