Charleston County, South Carolina
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Charleston County, South Carolina ranks 1,938th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Charleston sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,938th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 43.9 · moderate-low county distress, 45th in South Carolina.
- 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 68th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 24% — national median 23%, ranked at the 53rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 9% — national median 8%, ranked at the 57th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 20-point drop to Berkeley County marks where the South Carolina distress corridor ends.
Charleston County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Charleston County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Charleston County's value shown alongside SC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Charleston | SC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 53 · Rank 1,449 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 9% | 5% | 68th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 8% | 5% | 37th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 25% | 33% | 23% | 56th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 34 · Rank 2,229 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 24% | 36% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 63 | 105 | 126 | 16th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 82 · Rank 341 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 24% | 21% | 76th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 21% | 18% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 22 · Rank 2,383 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 22nd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 27 · Rank 2,508 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 14% | 24% | 18% | 31st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 16% | 16% | 9th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 11% | 17% | 14% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 10% | 8% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Charleston County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston County ranks 1,938th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 43.9 out of 100 gives Charleston a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,937 counties rank more distressed. Within South Carolina, Charleston ranks 45th of 46 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Charleston sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Charleston County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Charleston County's distress score?
How does Charleston County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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