Burlington, NC

Household financial stress

Household financial stress reflects how close households are to the edge. It blends income, poverty exposure, housing cost burden, and safety-net reliance to show where families have less cushion for unexpected bills.

Debt and credit pressure

Debt and credit pressure tracks how leveraged households are and how often credit stress shows up. Higher subprime share, delinquency, and revolving utilization indicate tighter credit access and greater reliance on borrowing.

Cost of living exposure

Cost of living exposure focuses on housing costs relative to income. Rising rents, higher monthly housing costs, and elevated rent-to-income ratios can squeeze budgets even when incomes rise.

Legal and collection risk

Legal and collection risk uses civil court filings per capita and caseload trends to capture the legal environment. Higher civil filing rates can signal more collection activity and a more intense enforcement climate.

Employment and income stability

Employment and income stability measures job market resilience with unemployment rates, volatility, labor force participation, median earnings, and industry concentration. More volatility means less predictable pay and higher income shocks.