MISI Score
41.0
Fragile
Project NC / Lenoir County
BOTH · Lenoir CountyPWSID NC0454010
MISI Score
41.0
Fragile
Score Confidence
1.0%
Peer Percentile
88.1th
As of
Apr 23, 2026
EXPLANATION
MARKET INTERPRETATION
As a community water provider for roughly 27,475 residents, Kinston falls into the smaller tier of scored systems. The current reading places the system in a zone of moderate-to-elevated stress that goes beyond normal operating variation.
The score is being driven mainly by Operational Stress, which is running high in the model, with Capex Pressure adding another heavy layer of pressure. That combination suggests strain is showing up across core system functions, not just one isolated dimension.
7 active stress signals are attached to this system, including 2 at high severity. That signal mix points to a system where several warning indicators are firing at once, not just one extreme outlier.
Within its peer cohort, this system ranks around the 88th percentile on measured stress, placing it among the more stressed systems in its peer group.
Recent observations suggest the system has been relatively steady rather than sharply improving or deteriorating — the current picture looks more like persistent underlying pressure than a sudden shift.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
SCORE STACK
SL 2020-79
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
ACTIVE SIGNALS
Active drought conditions stress source-water availability and treatment operations.
Score impact: 4.0 · Family: Operational Stress
Repeated or serious compliance failures often indicate rising operational and infrastructure stress.
Score impact: 4.0 · Family: Operational Stress
A shrinking served population weakens the customer base and raises infrastructure cost per customer.
Score impact: 3.0 · Family: Revenue Fragility
Parent-government debt, pension, or operating stress can constrain infrastructure support and governance flexibility.
Score impact: 10.0 · Family: Governance Risk
Large structural capital need relative to local support capacity often precedes major rate or funding pressure.
Score impact: 8.0 · Family: Capex Pressure
Elevated drought and flood exposure raises outage, source-water, and infrastructure reliability stress.
Score impact: 6.0 · Family: Operational Stress
HISTORY
Latest
41.0
Trend
+34.0
Observations
30
NC TREASURER FBA
Days Cash on Hand
347
Days Cash As Of
Jun 30, 2024
Population Served
27,475
PFAS detections can force expensive treatment retrofits and accelerate capital plans.
Score impact: 6.0 · Family: Capex Pressure