Bamberg County, South Carolina

County Distress Index: Serious · 74.4 | 12,974 people · 4th most distressed in South Carolina
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Bamberg County, SC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 74.4 — 79th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Carolina, it ranks 4th of 46 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bamberg County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 88.1
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 76.1
Uninsured Rate 86
Disability Rate 66
Housing Cost Burden 65.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 75
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 73
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 45
Homeownership Rate 51
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Employment & Wages 46.8
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 31
Business Formation Rate 14

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bamberg County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bamberg County
Bamberg County, SC 74.4 Serious —
Barnwell County, SC 74.9 Serious +0.6
Colleton County, SC 72.0 Serious -2.3
Hampton County, SC 70.9 Serious -3.5
Allendale County, SC 68.6 Serious -5.7
Orangeburg County, SC 65.4 Serious -9.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bamberg County
Hertford County, NC 74.4 Serious +0.0
Okfuskee County, OK 74.5 Serious +0.2
Williamsburg County, SC 74.5 Serious +0.2
Choctaw County, OK 74.6 Serious +0.2
Marlboro County, SC 74.1 Serious -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Bamberg County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Bamberg County

Find an Attorney

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 803-799-7100

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bamberg County residents at no cost.

SC Legal Services (Palmetto Legal Services / Greater Columbia Community Relations Council) 1-888-346-5592
Upstate Legal Services 864-679-3232
Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar 803-799-6653
Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services 843-853-3304
South Carolina Legal Services, Inc. (888) 346-5592

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Bamberg County, South Carolina?

    Bamberg County has a County Distress Index score of 74.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 79th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in South Carolina out of 46 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bamberg County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bamberg County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Bamberg County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bamberg County (74.4) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Barnwell County, SC (74.9); Colleton County, SC (72.0); Hampton County, SC (70.9).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Bamberg County?

    Bamberg County, South Carolina has a population of approximately 12,974 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.