Wilkes County, North Carolina
Above the national median for transfer-income dependency — and 18.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Teton County, WY — 2%).
Main Findings
Wilkes County, North Carolina ranks 1,345th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 34% of personal income comes from government transfers — above the national median of 27%.
- 1,345th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 53rd in North Carolina.
- 34% of personal income comes from government transfers (U.S. median 27%). Transfer-income dependency at the 79th percentile nationally.
- Credit card delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 77th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 57th percentile.
- Debt in collections at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 59th percentile.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 21-point drop to Ashe County marks where the North Carolina distress corridor ends.
"Wilkes County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
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 (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 77th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 24% | 28% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| 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 (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 83 | 87 | 126 | 27th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 43 · Rank 1,849 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 57th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 14% | 19% | 18% | 30th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 47 · Rank 1,653 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 47th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 72 · Rank 713 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 21% | 18% | 64th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 17% | 16% | 70th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 15% | 14% | 69th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 34% | 30% | 27% | 79th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 10% | 8% | 74th | Census ACS 5-yr (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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Wilkes County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 154-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WILKESBORO, N.C. — Wilkes County ranks 1,345th 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 55 out of 100 places Wilkes in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,344 counties rank more distressed. Within North Carolina, Wilkes ranks 53rd of 100 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 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. 34% of personal income comes from government transfers — above the national median of 27%.
"Wilkes County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
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?
Wilkes County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →