About two in five people with a credit file in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Chesterfield 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 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chesterfield County's score
In Chesterfield County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.8. People with a credit card behind: 10.9%, August 2025, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 83.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chesterfield 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.
Chesterfield County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (104.5, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.9% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.2% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 83.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 79.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.5% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,144 · 202486th percentile
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- 64.9 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 people104.5 · 202538th percentile
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- 62.5 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd 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 Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chesterfield County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chesterfield County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 35.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Chesterfield County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 35.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chesterfield County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 21.1% in 2012 to 23.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Chesterfield County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 16.4% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
How Chesterfield County has changed
Chesterfield County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 44,348 in 2004 to 46,638 in 2009.
Chesterfield County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44,488
High on the chart: 46,638 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Chesterfield County had its largest drop, from 16,108 in 2000 to 13,601 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Chesterfield County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 16,108 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 18.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,618 | 2024 $53,144 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Chesterfield County's history
1785
Formed in 1785, was part of Cheraws District until 1800. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A thunderstorm in August 2007 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 46,734. The 2020 Census counted 43,273, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Lightning in June 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
H7N3 avian influenza confirmed in commercial turkey flocks April 2020, resulting in euthanization of 32,000 turkeys. Wikipedia
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Since 1984
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chesterfield County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chesterfield County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Chesterfield County, in South Carolina and North Carolina, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chesterfield County ranks 2nd of the seven; Marlboro County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro County, SC | 98 | 30.2% | 40.5% |
| Darlington County, SC | 97 | 24.6% | 32.0% |
| Anson County, NC | 92 | 21.3% | 33.5% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 91 | 18.5% | 35.8% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 64 | 12.2% | 27.4% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 39 | 10.2% | 22.8% |
| Union County, NC | 15 | 7.6% | 13.6% |
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 Chesterfield County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Chesterfield County's poverty rate was 18.5% in 2024, 14th 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, Chesterfield County ranks 13th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.