In Berkeley County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Berkeley County, 26.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Berkeley County's score
In Berkeley County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Berkeley 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.
Berkeley County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($86,187, 2024) and people below the poverty line (8.9%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.8 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.2% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 71.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people105.4 · 202538th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
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- 27.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.4% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,187 · 202413th 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 Berkeley 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 Berkeley County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Berkeley County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Berkeley County had its largest rise, from 7.7% in 1989 to 11.4% in 1994.
In Berkeley County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 19.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Berkeley County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 19.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Berkeley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 8.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Berkeley County, South Carolina.
How Berkeley County has changed
Berkeley County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 224,765 in 2019 to 264,276 in 2024.
Berkeley County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 264,276, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 141,956. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Berkeley County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Berkeley County had its largest rise in the last span, from 55,015 in 2020 to 70,252 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Berkeley County tripled to 70,252, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 70,252 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Berkeley County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,158 | 2024 $86,187 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Berkeley County's history
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in September 1998 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in September 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in June 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 229,861, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Berkeley County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Berkeley County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Berkeley County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Berkeley County ranks 6th of the seven; Williamsburg County is highest, at 39.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg County, SC | 99 | 25.5% | 39.0% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 96 | 21.0% | 37.0% |
| Clarendon County, SC | 89 | 17.4% | 37.8% |
| Georgetown County, SC | 66 | 17.4% | 28.5% |
| Dorchester County, SC | 62 | 9.1% | 23.2% |
| Berkeley County, SC | 58 | 8.9% | 19.1% |
| Charleston County, SC | 38 | 10.3% | 13.7% |
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 Berkeley County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Berkeley County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 44th 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, Berkeley County ranks 37th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Berkeley 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 Berkeley 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 Berkeley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.