Darlington County, South Carolina

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.4 | 62,416 people · 11th most distressed in South Carolina
American Default Research

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Darlington County, SC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.4 — 238th 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 11th of 46 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Darlington County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.9 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.9
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 91
Debt & Delinquency 82.8
Debt in Collections 97
Medical Debt 64
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 96
Credit Card Delinquency 91
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 52
Housing Cost Burden 68.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 89
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 84
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 10
Homeownership Rate 68
Rent-to-Income Ratio 92
Community Vulnerability 57.5
Uninsured Rate 58
Disability Rate 57
Employment & Wages 47.1
Unemployment Rate 88
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 28
Business Formation Rate 25

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Darlington County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Darlington County
Darlington County, SC 69.4 Serious —
Marlboro County, SC 74.1 Serious +4.7
Lee County, SC 69.1 Serious -0.3
Chesterfield County, SC 68.3 Serious -1.1
Florence County, SC 63.4 Elevated -6.0
Kershaw County, SC 52.7 Elevated -16.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Darlington County
Citrus County, FL 69.5 Serious +0.1
Wyandotte County, KS 69.3 Serious -0.1
Gila County, AZ 69.6 Serious +0.2
Kings County, CA 69.8 Serious +0.3
Madera County, CA 69.8 Serious +0.4

Download Data

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

Find Help in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Darlington County, South Carolina?

    Darlington County has a County Distress Index score of 69.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 238th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 11th in South Carolina out of 46 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Darlington County?

    The primary driver of distress in Darlington County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Darlington County compare to neighboring counties?

    Darlington County (69.4) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Marlboro County, SC (74.1); Lee County, SC (69.1); Chesterfield County, SC (68.3).

  • 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 Darlington County?

    Darlington County, South Carolina has a population of approximately 62,416 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.