About three in ten people with a credit file in Aiken County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Aiken County, 29.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Aiken County's score
In Aiken County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 69.8. Jobs come next, at 61.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Aiken County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Aiken County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($71,314, 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (119.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.8% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people119.1 · 202546th percentile
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- 58.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,314 · 202437th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Aiken County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Aiken County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Aiken County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Aiken County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Aiken County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Aiken County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Aiken County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Aiken County, South Carolina.
How Aiken County has changed
Aiken County's population had its largest rise, from 118,374 in 1989 to 134,214 in 1994.
Aiken County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 179,245, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 162,700. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Aiken County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Aiken County rose 12% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 66,800 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Aiken County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,517 | 2024 $71,314 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Aiken County's history
1871
Organized 1871 during Reconstruction from portions of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties. Wikipedia
1950
Ellenton South Carolina acquired and demolished for Savannah River Site nuclear facility 1950s. Wikipedia
1950
Ellenton residents and businesses moved north eight miles to New Ellenton or south to Jackson. Wikipedia
2008
Lightning in January 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in April 2009 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 168,808, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Aiken County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Aiken County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Aiken County, in South Carolina and Georgia, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Aiken County ranks 7th of the eight; Barnwell County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, GA | 98 | 19.0% | 31.5% |
| Burke County, GA | 97 | 24.2% | 33.2% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 96 | 21.0% | 37.0% |
| Barnwell County, SC | 93 | 20.3% | 39.7% |
| Saluda County, SC | 75 | 15.1% | 28.0% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 70 | 16.8% | 29.3% |
| Aiken County, SC | 68 | 13.7% | 26.1% |
| Lexington County, SC | 47 | 11.3% | 20.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Aiken County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Aiken County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 34th highest of 46 in South Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Allendale County, at 31.6%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Aiken County ranks 28th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Aiken County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
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Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Aiken County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.