South Carolina County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 46 counties in South Carolina, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 66.5. 36counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
South Carolina Snapshot
46 Counties Scored
66.5 Mean Score
66.2 Median Score
90.7 Williamsburg County Most Distressed
41.8 Beaufort County Least Distressed
23 Most distressed fifth13 Second-most distressed fifth7 Middle fifth3 Second-least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution South Carolina County Map
Loading interactive map…
Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 46 South Carolina counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How South Carolina's 46 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All South Carolina Counties
46 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Williamsburg County | 90.7 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 2 | 49 | Marlboro County | 84.7 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 3 | 55 | Bamberg County | 84.6 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 4 | 69 | Orangeburg County | 83.7 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 5 | 77 | Lee County | 83.0 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 6 | 85 | Fairfield County | 82.6 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 7 | 108 | Darlington County | 81.2 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 8 | 114 | Union County | 81.1 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 9 | 135 | Dillon County | 80.3 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 10 | 136 | Barnwell County | 80.3 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 11 | 161 | Sumter County | 79.3 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 12 | 195 | Allendale County | 77.9 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 13 | 196 | Clarendon County | 77.7 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 14 | 197 | Marion County | 77.7 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 15 | 240 | Colleton County | 75.9 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 16 | 258 | Chester County | 75.4 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 17 | 284 | Florence County | 74.6 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 18 | 289 | Chesterfield County | 74.5 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 19 | 291 | Hampton County | 74.4 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 20 | 336 | Richland County | 73.1 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 21 | 352 | Calhoun County | 72.6 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 22 | 546 | Laurens County | 68.4 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 23 | 558 | Cherokee County | 68.3 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 24 | 784 | Newberry County | 64.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 25 | 894 | Horry County | 62.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 26 | 896 | Greenwood County | 62.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 27 | 926 | Spartanburg County | 61.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 28 | 949 | Kershaw County | 61.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 29 | 1,056 | Jasper County | 59.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 30 | 1,095 | Edgefield County | 58.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 31 | 1,147 | Abbeville County | 58.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 32 | 1,154 | Pickens County | 57.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 33 | 1,176 | Saluda County | 57.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 34 | 1,186 | Dorchester County | 57.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 35 | 1,198 | Aiken County | 57.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 36 | 1,244 | Georgetown County | 56.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 37 | 1,302 | Berkeley County | 55.2 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 38 | 1,376 | Anderson County | 54.1 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 39 | 1,470 | McCormick County | 52.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 40 | 1,532 | York County | 51.3 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 1,699 | Lancaster County | 48.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 42 | 1,706 | Lexington County | 48.1 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 43 | 1,826 | Greenville County | 46.1 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 1,990 | Oconee County | 43.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 1,995 | Charleston County | 43.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,076 | Beaufort County | 41.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 23 South Carolina counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 13 South Carolina counties
Middle fifth — 7 South Carolina counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 3 South Carolina counties
Least distressed fifth — 0 South Carolina counties