March 14, 2012
How are NC Counties Faring?
County Economic Snapshot is an annual publication that provides a look at how well counties in North Carolina are faring across key indicators of economic well-being and opportunity. Indicators were selected based on several factors including availability, reliability, and consistency as well as what they can tell us about the conditions in our state’s 100 counties.
North Carolina
- Poverty Rate: 17.4
- Living Income Standard (LIS): $48,814
- LIS as % of Poverty Level: 221.0%
- Graduation Rate: 77.9
|
County
|
Poverty Rate1
|
Living Income Standard (LIS)2
|
LIS as % of Poverty Level3
|
Graduation Rate4
|
Life Expectancy5
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 17.4 | $48,814 | 221.0% | 77.9 | 77.3 |
| Orange | 17.4 | $55,468 | 250.8% | 86.2 | 80.8 |
| Wake | 12.0 | $54,587 | 246.9% | 80.9 | 80.3 |
| Watauga | 24.8 | $50,481 | 228.3% | 87.4 | 79.6 |
| Dare | 12.3 | $52,854 | 239.0% | 90.1 | 79.5 |
| Transylvania | 15.9 | $49,184 | 222.4% | 78.0 | 79.4 |
| Moore | 16.6 | $47,799 | 216.2% | 72.3 | 79.3 |
| Clay | 18.8 | $46,064 | 208.3% | 85.0 | 79.2 |
| Mecklenburg | 15.6 | $51,118 | 231.2% | 73.5 | 78.8 |
| Tyrrell | 28.7 | $47,798 | 216.2% | 80.8 | 78.7 |
| Avery | 23.5 | $47,508 | 214.8% | 85.1 | 78.6 |
| NewHanover | 18.1 | $51,089 | 231.0% | 73.9 | 78.6 |
| Yancey | 20.3 | $45,739 | 206.8% | 78.2 | 78.6 |
| Chatham | 14.2 | $54,258 | 245.4% | 74.3 | 78.5 |
| Henderson | 15.8 | $48,563 | 219.6% | 82.9 | 78.4 |
| Lee | 18.6 | $47,806 | 216.2% | 80.4 | 78.4 |
| Buncombe | 17.1 | $45,969 | 207.9% | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Guilford | 17.9 | $47,476 | 214.7% | 83.1 | 78.3 |
| Macon | 19.7 | $47,031 | 212.7% | 84.8 | 78.2 |
| Ashe | 20.0 | $45,940 | 207.8% | 80.6 | 78.1 |
| Davie | 14.0 | $47,870 | 216.5% | 76.6 | 78.1 |
| Durham | 18.4 | $53,063 | 240.0% | 73.9 | 78.1 |
| Union | 9.2 | $52,347 | 236.7% | 89.1 | 78.1 |
| Montgomery | 24.6 | $46,930 | 212.2% | 77.9 | 78.0 |
| Carteret | 14.1 | $47,748 | 215.9% | 83.0 | 77.9 |
| Pamlico | 15.2 | $46,086 | 208.4% | 80.9 | 77.9 |
| Alleghany | 23.0 | $45,940 | 207.8% | 80.6 | 77.8 |
| Pender | 16.7 | $47,972 | 216.9% | 81.9 | 77.8 |
| Perquimans | 16.4 | $47,798 | 216.2% | 85.3 | 77.7 |
| Brunswick | 16.5 | $51,619 | 233.4% | 79.2 | 77.6 |
| Camden | 9.7 | $47,798 | 216.2% | 90.7 | 77.5 |
| Pasquotank | 22.9 | $49,074 | 221.9% | 77.2 | 77.5 |
| Polk | 14.4 | $47,848 | 216.4% | 87.2 | 77.5 |
| Forsyth | 16.7 | $47,000 | 212.5% | 78.8 | 77.4 |
| Alamance | 18.5 | $47,162 | 213.3% | 75.5 | 77.3 |
| Haywood | 14.6 | $46,953 | 212.3% | 79.3 | 77.3 |
| Onslow | 15.8 | $47,003 | 212.6% | 81.7 | 77.3 |
| Cabarrus | 12.5 | $49,890 | 225.6% | 84.2 | 77.2 |
| Hyde | 21.9 | $48,173 | 217.8% | 83.0 | 77.1 |
| Iredell | 13.3 | $49,031 | 221.7% | 86.3 | 77.1 |
| Madison | 23.4 | $47,969 | 216.9% | 81.8 | 77.1 |
| Catawba | 14.5 | $44,245 | 200.1% | 84.3 | 76.9 |
| Craven | 17.5 | $47,661 | 215.5% | 80.9 | 76.9 |
| Jackson | 19.3 | $46,938 | 212.3% | 77.2 | 76.9 |
| Johnston | 16.1 | $50,290 | 227.4% | 78.7 | 76.9 |
| Randolph | 18.1 | $48,193 | 217.9% | 82.8 | 76.9 |
| Rowan | 20.1 | $46,005 | 208.0% | 76.9 | 76.9 |
| Yadkin | 15.1 | $47,444 | 214.6% | 82.6 | 76.9 |
| Burke | 18.7 | $46,793 | 211.6% | 85.0 | 76.7 |
| Stanly | 15.4 | $47,169 | 213.3% | 77.9 | 76.7 |
| Cherokee | 18.1 | $45,688 | 206.6% | 86.1 | 76.6 |
| Jones | 18.4 | $47,213 | 213.5% | 77.0 | 76.6 |
| Caswell | 20.8 | $46,080 | 208.4% | 76.3 | 76.5 |
| Chowan | 21.1 | $47,849 | 216.4% | 78.0 | 76.5 |
| Pitt | 21.6 | $47,536 | 215.0% | 70.0 | 76.5 |
| Washington | 22.4 | $46,974 | 212.4% | 82.6 | 76.5 |
| Caldwell | 18.4 | $47,168 | 213.3% | 81.4 | 76.4 |
| McDowell | 19.3 | $45,940 | 207.8% | 75.2 | 76.4 |
| Stokes | 14.3 | $47,870 | 216.5% | 81.1 | 76.4 |
| Alexander | 16.9 | $47,168 | 213.3% | 76.6 | 76.3 |
| Cumberland | 18.2 | $45,794 | 207.1% | 78.1 | 76.3 |
| Currituck | 11.1 | $53,170 | 240.4% | 80.3 | 76.3 |
| Davidson | 17.3 | $41,572 | 188.0% | 78.7 | 76.3 |
| Mitchell | 18.5 | $47,989 | 217.0% | 80.0 | 76.3 |
| Wilkes | 19.9 | $46,367 | 209.7% | 80.7 | 76.3 |
| Beaufort | 20.7 | $46,871 | 212.0% | 75.7 | 76.2 |
| Franklin | 16.0 | $50,528 | 228.5% | 78.9 | 76.2 |
| Lincoln | 15.0 | $47,732 | 215.9% | 81.6 | 76.2 |
| Warren | 27.1 | $45,993 | 208.0% | 79.5 | 76.2 |
| Harnett | 16.7 | $46,506 | 210.3% | 72.8 | 76.1 |
| Greene | 23.7 | $46,462 | 210.1% | 76.3 | 76.0 |
| Surry | 19.3 | $45,550 | 206.0% | 80.8 | 75.8 |
| Nash | 15.6 | $46,803 | 211.7% | 74.7 | 75.7 |
| Cleveland | 20.9 | $48,266 | 218.3% | 73.2 | 75.5 |
| Duplin | 23.7 | $46,643 | 210.9% | 69.1 | 75.5 |
| Hoke | 19.0 | $47,739 | 215.9% | 69.9 | 75.5 |
| Northampton | 22.5 | $46,086 | 208.4% | 76.0 | 75.5 |
| Gates | 17.5 | $47,849 | 216.4% | 82.0 | 75.4 |
| Sampson | 21.4 | $46,643 | 210.9% | 74.5 | 75.3 |
| Gaston | 19.9 | $48,150 | 217.7% | 75.4 | 75.2 |
| Wayne | 19.7 | $46,701 | 211.2% | 74.6 | 75.2 |
| Wilson | 22.9 | $47,957 | 216.9% | 69.1 | 75.2 |
| Graham | 22.5 | $45,739 | 206.8% | 85.6 | 75.1 |
| Rockingham | 18.5 | $45,702 | 206.7% | 72.4 | 75.0 |
| Lenoir | 23.2 | $46,120 | 208.6% | 71.9 | 74.9 |
| Person | 16.4 | $46,823 | 211.7% | 72.7 | 74.6 |
| Granville | 15.5 | $47,546 | 215.0% | 67.3 | 74.4 |
| Rutherford | 25.0 | $47,361 | 214.2% | 69.0 | 74.3 |
| Hertford | 26.1 | $46,086 | 208.4% | 83.9 | 74.2 |
| Vance | 24.3 | $46,181 | 208.8% | 67.5 | 74.2 |
| Halifax | 26.2 | $46,120 | 208.6% | 73.8 | 74.1 |
| Martin | 19.9 | $48,585 | 219.7% | 75.6 | 74.0 |
| Anson | 22.6 | $46,469 | 210.1% | 75.9 | 73.8 |
| Richmond | 28.1 | $46,418 | 209.9% | 73.6 | 73.6 |
| Bertie | 27.0 | $46,359 | 209.6% | 78.6 | 73.3 |
| Bladen | 22.3 | $47,070 | 212.9% | 74.9 | 73.0 |
| Scotland | 27.2 | $47,323 | 214.0% | 65.6 | 73.0 |
| Columbus | 26.9 | $46,643 | 210.9% | 80.7 | 72.8 |
| Swain | 18.5 | $46,115 | 208.5% | 73.3 | 72.6 |
| Robeson | 31.5 | $46,695 | 211.2% | 78.8 | 72.5 |
| Edgecombe | 24.5 | $46,462 | 210.1% | 75.0 | 72.4 |
1 The poverty rate is the number of people living below the federal poverty line as a percentage of the total population.Source: US Census Bureau.
2 The Living Income Standard (LIS) provides a conservative estimate of how much it truly costs a working family of four to make ends meet in the state. The LIS is an alternative to the federal poverty level due to its failure to capture the full range of factors contributing to economic hardship. Source: NC Budget and Tax Center. 2010 Living Income Standard for North Carolina.
3 The Federal poverty level (FPL) is the minimum amount of gross annual income that a family needs for food, clothing, transportation, shelter and other necessities. The FPL varies according to family size and is adjusted for inflation annually.Source: US Census Bureau.
4 The Graduation Rate is the share of students in a four-year cohort who completes high school in four years or less.Source: NC Department of Public Instruction.
5 Life Expectancy is the average number of additional years of life remaining at birth. Source: NC State Center for Health Statistics.
