Half of North Carolinians don't have 3 months savings

Half of North Carolinians don't have enough money saved to cover three months of expenses, a new report from the nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development says -- a situation the group calls "liquid asset poverty."

That puts North Carolina as No. 33 in the country in that regard. While many of them are low-income, the group found that 32 percent of households with annual incomes $48,601 and $80,100 fit the designation.

South Carolina ranked a little better: 47 percent of its residents do not have three months' savings, putting the state at No. 29. The national rate is 43.9 percent.

The group warns that a lack of savings can keep families from owning a home or saving for college.

"In order to cope with the recession’s continued impact, these families have had to prioritize today’s expenses over tomorrow’s goals,” said Andrea Levere, president of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, in a statement.