South Carolina County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 46 counties in South Carolina, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 66.8. 21 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
South Carolina Snapshot
46 Counties Scored
66.8 Mean Score
66.3 Median Score
90.5 Williamsburg County Most Distressed
42.5 Beaufort County Least Distressed
1 extreme county distress9 very high county distress11 high county distress9 moderate-high county distress10 moderate county distress6 moderate-low county distress
Score Label Distribution South Carolina County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 46 South Carolina counties colored by county distress score range. 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 | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Williamsburg County | 90.5 | extreme county distress | Delinquency |
| 2 | 41 | Bamberg County | 85.6 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 3 | 53 | Marlboro County | 84.7 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 4 | 83 | Orangeburg County | 83.2 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 5 | 95 | Lee County | 82.4 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 6 | 111 | Darlington County | 81.7 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 7 | 113 | Fairfield County | 81.6 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 8 | 116 | Barnwell County | 81.4 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 9 | 128 | Union County | 80.9 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 10 | 147 | Dillon County | 80.0 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 11 | 181 | Sumter County | 78.7 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 12 | 189 | Allendale County | 78.3 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 13 | 214 | Marion County | 77.5 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 14 | 216 | Clarendon County | 77.5 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 15 | 271 | Colleton County | 75.7 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 16 | 287 | Florence County | 75.3 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 17 | 295 | Chester County | 75.1 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 18 | 312 | Hampton County | 74.8 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 19 | 323 | Richland County | 74.7 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 20 | 324 | Chesterfield County | 74.7 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 21 | 391 | Calhoun County | 72.6 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 22 | 639 | Cherokee County | 67.5 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 23 | 655 | Laurens County | 67.2 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 24 | 739 | Newberry County | 65.3 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 25 | 862 | Horry County | 63.2 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 26 | 915 | Greenwood County | 62.3 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 27 | 936 | Spartanburg County | 61.8 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 28 | 951 | Pickens County | 61.7 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 29 | 1,005 | Kershaw County | 60.7 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 30 | 1,045 | Jasper County | 60.1 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 1,078 | Edgefield County | 59.2 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 32 | 1,081 | Saluda County | 59.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 33 | 1,148 | Aiken County | 58.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 34 | 1,169 | Abbeville County | 57.7 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 35 | 1,179 | Dorchester County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 36 | 1,251 | Georgetown County | 56.0 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 37 | 1,282 | Berkeley County | 55.6 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 38 | 1,343 | Anderson County | 54.5 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 39 | 1,504 | York County | 51.6 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 1,564 | McCormick County | 50.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 41 | 1,678 | Lexington County | 48.3 | moderate-low county distress | Delinquency |
| 42 | 1,727 | Lancaster County | 47.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 43 | 1,763 | Greenville County | 47.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 1,872 | Oconee County | 45.1 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 1,938 | Charleston County | 43.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,014 | Beaufort County | 42.5 | moderate-low county distress | 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.
extreme county distress — 1 South Carolina county
very high county distress — 9 South Carolina counties
high county distress — 11 South Carolina counties
moderate-high county distress — 9 South Carolina counties
moderate county distress — 10 South Carolina counties
moderate-low county distress — 6 South Carolina counties
low-moderate county distress — 0 South Carolina counties
low county distress — 0 South Carolina counties
very low county distress — 0 South Carolina counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 South Carolina counties