About two in five people with a credit file in Chester County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Chester County, 38.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chester County's score
In Chester County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 88.9. About three in five people (56.9%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 82.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chester 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.
Chester County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (80.7, 2025) and people with a disability (14.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.9% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 82.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.5% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,584 · 202481st percentile
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- 61.4 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 rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.2% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people80.7 · 202526th 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 Chester 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 Chester County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chester County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chester County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 25.6% in 2004 to 34.6% in 2009.
In Chester County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 33.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Chester County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chester County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 2010 to 20.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Chester County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 16.7%
Low on the chart: 13.9% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chester County, South Carolina.
How Chester County has changed
Chester County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 33,901 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chester County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Chester County had its largest drop, from 10,946 in 2005 to 7,733 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Chester County fell 11% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 7,733 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chester County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.2% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,193 | 2024 $55,584 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Chester County's history
1785
Founded in 1785. Wikipedia
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A tornado in April 1994 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 34,068. The 2020 Census counted 32,294, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
Lightning in May 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chester County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chester County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Chester County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chester County ranks 3rd of the five; Union County is highest, at 40.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield County, SC | 91 | 16.9% | 34.0% |
| Union County, SC | 91 | 18.7% | 40.1% |
| Chester County, SC | 86 | 16.4% | 33.6% |
| York County, SC | 42 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 39 | 10.2% | 22.8% |
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 Chester County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Chester County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 24th 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, Chester County ranks 19th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.