Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Barnwell County, South Carolina
In Barnwell County, 39.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barnwell County's score
In Barnwell County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.7%, August 2025, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 87.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barnwell 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.
Barnwell County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (112.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.7% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.1% · second quarter of 202695th percentile
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- 87.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 86.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.3% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.0% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,145 · 202491st percentile
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- 67.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.9% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.5 · 202542nd percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.3% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202757th 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 Barnwell 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 Barnwell County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barnwell County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barnwell County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 39.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Barnwell County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 39.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barnwell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.1% in 2022 to 26.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Barnwell County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2023, reaching 26.3%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 26.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Barnwell County, South Carolina.
How Barnwell County has changed
Barnwell County's population had its largest rise, from 20,020 in 1989 to 22,158 in 1994.
Barnwell County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 23,377 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barnwell County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Barnwell County had its largest drop, from 7,322 in 2005 to 5,677 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Barnwell County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 8,781 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barnwell County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.6% | 2024 20.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,379 | 2024 $50,145 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Barnwell County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 35,504. The 2020 Census counted 20,589, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1972
A tornado in January 1972 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in April 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in October 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barnwell County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barnwell County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Barnwell County, in South Carolina and Georgia, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barnwell County ranks 2nd of the six; Allendale County is highest, at 40.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bamberg County, SC | 97 | 24.2% | 38.5% |
| Burke County, GA | 97 | 24.2% | 33.2% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 96 | 21.0% | 37.0% |
| Barnwell County, SC | 93 | 20.3% | 39.7% |
| Allendale County, SC | 90 | 31.6% | 40.4% |
| Aiken County, SC | 68 | 13.7% | 26.1% |
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 Barnwell County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Barnwell County's poverty rate was 20.3% in 2024, 12th 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, Barnwell County ranks 9th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barnwell 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.
Download the CSV for Barnwell County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Barnwell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.