Clarendon County, South Carolina

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.1 | 31,004 people · 9th most distressed in South Carolina
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Clarendon County, SC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.1 — 207th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Carolina, it ranks 9th of 46 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clarendon County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 87.7 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 87.7
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 87
Child Poverty Rate 90
Debt & Delinquency 84.3
Debt in Collections 92
Medical Debt 72
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 92
Credit Card Delinquency 91
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 62
Community Vulnerability 66.0
Uninsured Rate 63
Disability Rate 68
Employment & Wages 60.0
Unemployment Rate 98
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 61
Business Formation Rate 21
Housing Cost Burden 52.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 67
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 44
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 30
Homeownership Rate 57
Rent-to-Income Ratio 65

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Clarendon County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clarendon County
Clarendon County, SC 70.1 Serious —
Williamsburg County, SC 74.5 Serious +4.4
Sumter County, SC 67.1 Serious -3.1
Orangeburg County, SC 65.4 Serious -4.7
Florence County, SC 63.4 Elevated -6.7
Calhoun County, SC 58.4 Elevated -11.8
Berkeley County, SC 50.5 Elevated -19.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clarendon County
Miller County, AR 70.2 Serious +0.0
Val Verde County, TX 70.3 Serious +0.1
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious +0.1
Danville city, VA 70.0 Serious -0.1
St. Helena Parish, LA 70.3 Serious +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Clarendon County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Clarendon County

Find an Attorney

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 803-799-7100

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clarendon County residents at no cost.

SC Legal Services (Palmetto Legal Services / Greater Columbia Community Relations Council) 1-888-346-5592
Upstate Legal Services 864-679-3232
Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar 803-799-6653
Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services 843-853-3304
South Carolina Legal Services, Inc. (888) 346-5592

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Clarendon County, South Carolina?

    Clarendon County has a County Distress Index score of 70.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 207th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 9th in South Carolina out of 46 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clarendon County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clarendon County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 87.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Clarendon County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clarendon County (70.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Williamsburg County, SC (74.5); Sumter County, SC (67.1); Orangeburg County, SC (65.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Clarendon County?

    Clarendon County, South Carolina has a population of approximately 31,004 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.