diff --git a/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/internal/StringUtils.java b/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/internal/StringUtils.java
index b780d55b9e5..a867e7932bd 100644
--- a/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/internal/StringUtils.java
+++ b/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/internal/StringUtils.java
@@ -594,7 +594,12 @@ public static boolean isNumeric(@Nullable String str) {
         }
         int sz = str.length();
         for (int i = 0; i < sz; i++) {
-            if (!Character.isDigit(str.charAt(i))) {
+            char c = str.charAt(i);
+            // fast path for common ASCII digits to avoid expensive Unicode checks
+            if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') {
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (!Character.isDigit(c)) {
                 return false;
             }
         }