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PantryPath Research · Child Poverty Atlas

Child Poverty in
North Carolina

North Carolina's child poverty rate is 17.5% across 100 counties, meaning 403K children under 18 live in households below the federal poverty line. Use the interactive map below to see how poverty varies within the state.

17.5%

Child poverty rate (0–17)

403K

Children in poverty

12.8%

All-ages poverty

$70,838

Median income

North Carolina by county

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Toggle between five SAIPE metrics to see how poverty varies within North Carolina. Hover a county for its exact rate.

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Lower
Higher

North Carolina at a glance

Children in poverty

403K

Ages 0–17

Child poverty rate

17.5%

Ages 0–17

5–17 poverty rate

16.9%

Title I allocator

All-ages poverty

12.8%

Entire population

Concentration

1.37×

Child ÷ all-ages

Median income

$70,838

Inflation-adjusted

County-level hotspots

Five-county rankings across 100 counties in North Carolina.

Highest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Scotland County 42.9%
  2. 2 Halifax County 41.6%
  3. 3 Edgecombe County 39.0%
  4. 4 Robeson County 37.9%
  5. 5 Vance County 36.7%

Lowest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Orange County 8.2%
  2. 2 Wake County 8.2%
  3. 3 Camden County 8.5%
  4. 4 Union County 10.2%
  5. 5 Currituck County 10.5%

Most children in poverty

Absolute count, ages 0–17

  1. 1 Mecklenburg County 37K
  2. 2 Guilford County 24K
  3. 3 Wake County 22K
  4. 4 Forsyth County 20K
  5. 5 Cumberland County 18K

Every county in North Carolina

All 100 counties across the five SAIPE metrics plus median income.

County Children 0–17 Ages 5–17 All ages Concentration Child count Median income
Alamance County 16.0% 14.4% 12.5% 1.28× 6,186 $66,395
Alexander County 17.4% 17.0% 12.4% 1.40× 1,217 $62,976
Alleghany County 24.5% 24.0% 16.3% 1.50× 462 $46,571
Anson County 33.0% 32.8% 24.1% 1.37× 1,425 $50,503
Ashe County 22.0% 20.4% 15.3% 1.44× 961 $54,589
Avery County 22.1% 21.5% 15.9% 1.39× 550 $55,922
Beaufort County 30.5% 29.6% 19.3% 1.58× 2,561 $55,960
Bertie County 33.5% 33.7% 24.3% 1.38× 924 $44,371
Bladen County 29.1% 31.2% 19.3% 1.51× 1,739 $49,661
Brunswick County 16.8% 16.1% 10.3% 1.63× 3,629 $76,797
Buncombe County 16.4% 16.2% 12.9% 1.27× 7,741 $71,218
Burke County 24.4% 24.1% 15.9% 1.53× 3,792 $55,616
Cabarrus County 12.4% 11.0% 9.1% 1.36× 7,276 $85,540
Caldwell County 18.1% 16.6% 13.6% 1.33× 2,799 $56,239
Camden County 8.5% 7.6% 8.0% 1.06× 210 $84,656
Carteret County 14.4% 13.4% 10.6% 1.36× 1,635 $76,397
Caswell County 23.3% 22.4% 16.5% 1.41× 972 $57,865
Catawba County 15.6% 13.8% 11.9% 1.31× 5,391 $65,898
Chatham County 11.7% 10.3% 8.4% 1.39× 1,780 $95,716
Cherokee County 24.5% 22.9% 14.6% 1.68× 1,147 $53,926
Chowan County 24.6% 24.1% 15.1% 1.63× 671 $60,808
Clay County 22.2% 20.4% 12.1% 1.83× 390 $53,229
Cleveland County 26.0% 26.0% 17.2% 1.51× 5,745 $61,411
Columbus County 30.2% 31.0% 20.1% 1.50× 3,067 $50,837
Craven County 25.1% 25.3% 15.5% 1.62× 5,357 $61,761
Cumberland County 22.0% 21.8% 15.3% 1.44× 18,431 $61,511
Currituck County 10.5% 9.9% 7.8% 1.35× 724 $86,047
Dare County 13.3% 12.6% 8.9% 1.49× 864 $79,646
Davidson County 21.2% 19.4% 14.0% 1.51× 7,792 $63,551
Davie County 13.9% 13.3% 9.7% 1.43× 1,255 $76,153
Duplin County 26.8% 28.5% 19.8% 1.35× 3,118 $52,947
Durham County 15.1% 15.4% 10.6% 1.42× 9,720 $81,413
Edgecombe County 39.0% 39.8% 22.6% 1.73× 4,267 $49,972
Forsyth County 23.2% 20.7% 14.8% 1.57× 20,129 $65,556
Franklin County 15.0% 14.1% 11.3% 1.33× 2,459 $70,898
Gaston County 18.5% 17.9% 13.5% 1.37× 9,561 $67,076
Gates County 19.5% 18.7% 14.0% 1.39× 379 $64,047
Graham County 23.3% 24.2% 16.9% 1.38× 348 $51,841
Granville County 15.8% 14.9% 11.4% 1.39× 1,944 $72,896
Greene County 29.7% 28.7% 22.0% 1.35× 1,124 $52,145
Guilford County 20.6% 19.5% 14.8% 1.39× 24,258 $65,890
Halifax County 41.6% 41.6% 25.5% 1.63× 4,139 $48,520
Harnett County 18.3% 17.7% 13.7% 1.34× 6,442 $70,074
Haywood County 17.3% 16.2% 11.0% 1.57× 1,844 $64,553
Henderson County 15.5% 14.9% 10.6% 1.46× 3,321 $63,765
Hertford County 32.0% 31.6% 22.7% 1.41× 1,171 $48,964
Hoke County 24.3% 25.3% 18.5% 1.31× 3,466 $60,257
Hyde County 31.2% 32.4% 23.3% 1.34× 209 $49,781
Iredell County 11.9% 10.6% 9.2% 1.29× 5,163 $84,335
Jackson County 21.3% 20.0% 17.0% 1.25× 1,527 $55,462
Johnston County 14.1% 14.0% 10.8% 1.31× 8,249 $79,666
Jones County 30.3% 27.8% 19.1% 1.59× 520 $53,001
Lee County 22.9% 23.7% 14.7% 1.56× 3,511 $62,680
Lenoir County 32.0% 30.6% 23.1% 1.39× 3,906 $51,601
Lincoln County 13.2% 13.4% 10.7% 1.23× 2,531 $79,109
Macon County 20.5% 18.5% 13.5% 1.52× 1,400 $58,765
Madison County 20.0% 18.5% 13.8% 1.45× 725 $59,505
Martin County 30.8% 29.0% 19.7% 1.56× 1,308 $49,033
McDowell County 20.1% 19.2% 15.1% 1.33× 1,695 $53,697
Mecklenburg County 14.2% 14.0% 10.2% 1.39× 36,638 $84,796
Mitchell County 19.8% 18.4% 14.8% 1.34× 531 $56,746
Montgomery County 21.2% 20.4% 15.6% 1.36× 1,116 $55,005
Moore County 12.6% 11.8% 10.5% 1.20× 2,867 $78,955
Nash County 21.3% 20.4% 14.4% 1.48× 4,441 $65,457
New Hanover County 15.5% 14.4% 12.1% 1.28× 6,353 $79,106
Northampton County 31.8% 32.0% 20.7% 1.54× 928 $44,182
Onslow County 16.2% 17.3% 12.4% 1.31× 8,407 $66,982
Orange County 8.2% 7.7% 11.7% 0.70× 2,225 $86,736
Pamlico County 25.4% 25.6% 15.0% 1.69× 432 $61,996
Pasquotank County 23.2% 23.0% 15.5% 1.50× 1,972 $59,463
Pender County 14.4% 13.8% 11.4% 1.26× 2,174 $72,161
Perquimans County 24.8% 24.4% 15.1% 1.64× 596 $61,157
Person County 19.2% 18.8% 14.3% 1.34× 1,551 $64,466
Pitt County 23.2% 24.0% 19.4% 1.20× 8,514 $60,268
Polk County 19.8% 19.2% 12.8% 1.55× 595 $59,012
Randolph County 20.6% 18.6% 15.5% 1.33× 6,607 $59,336
Richmond County 31.0% 30.3% 22.6% 1.37× 3,028 $50,242
Robeson County 37.9% 37.9% 27.7% 1.37× 11,354 $42,180
Rockingham County 18.6% 18.2% 13.6% 1.37× 3,415 $58,508
Rowan County 20.7% 19.3% 14.6% 1.42× 6,767 $65,139
Rutherford County 20.3% 19.9% 15.2% 1.34× 2,603 $50,714
Sampson County 26.0% 25.4% 18.5% 1.41× 3,744 $53,637
Scotland County 42.9% 42.7% 28.6% 1.50× 3,303 $45,604
Stanly County 14.5% 13.3% 11.0% 1.32× 2,034 $65,784
Stokes County 15.2% 14.8% 10.5% 1.45× 1,264 $61,374
Surry County 16.3% 15.2% 13.9% 1.17× 2,402 $58,211
Swain County 23.3% 23.3% 15.6% 1.49× 684 $54,357
Transylvania County 18.4% 17.9% 12.5% 1.47× 937 $62,002
Tyrrell County 29.9% 30.6% 21.4% 1.40× 203 $46,072
Union County 10.2% 8.8% 8.4% 1.21× 6,520 $98,776
Vance County 36.7% 38.0% 23.2% 1.58× 3,667 $45,408
Wake County 8.2% 8.1% 7.2% 1.14× 21,801 $103,084
Warren County 30.6% 30.1% 20.3% 1.51× 1,004 $47,866
Washington County 35.8% 35.8% 22.6% 1.58× 742 $47,239
Watauga County 12.3% 11.6% 18.6% 0.66× 806 $62,045
Wayne County 22.2% 23.1% 17.1% 1.30× 6,194 $56,313
Wilkes County 20.7% 20.4% 16.3% 1.27× 2,634 $50,848
Wilson County 27.0% 26.8% 18.8% 1.44× 4,786 $52,620
Yadkin County 17.8% 16.7% 12.9% 1.38× 1,348 $61,626
Yancey County 22.0% 22.0% 15.9% 1.38× 727 $54,913

Help for families in North Carolina

Free meals, WIC, SNAP, and nutrition help for children in low-income households.

Families & children guide

North Carolina SNAP benefits

State-by-state SNAP eligibility, apply online, benefit amounts, and coverage gaps.

North Carolina SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search North Carolina's verified pantries — by ZIP, city, or county.

North Carolina food pantries