About two in five people with a credit file in Darlington County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Darlington County, 42.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Darlington County's score
In Darlington County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.4%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 86.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Darlington 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.
Darlington County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.0% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.4% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.8% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 86.2 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 working29.0% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 84.5 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 rent25.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 77.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.6% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.8% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,035 · 202486th percentile
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- 74.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.2% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people129.8 · 202551st 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 Darlington 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 Darlington County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Darlington County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Darlington County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 32.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Darlington County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Darlington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.6% in 2012 to 23.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Darlington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 15.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Darlington County, South Carolina.
How Darlington County has changed
Darlington County's population had its largest rise, from 58,131 in 1974 to 62,746 in 1979.
Darlington County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 68,705 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Darlington County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Darlington County had its largest drop, from 20,961 in 2005 to 18,168 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Darlington County fell 6% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 18,168 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Darlington County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.5% | 2024 24.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,330 | 2024 $53,035 |
The table uses 5.0% 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 Darlington County's history
1785
Established in 1785 from Cheraw District, which was divided into Marlborough, Chesterfield, and Darlington. Wikipedia
1865
Federal troops burned the depot, cotton platforms and railroad trestles in 1865. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in April 1961 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in May 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 68,681. The 2020 Census counted 62,905, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in April 2010 did $6.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Darlington County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Darlington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Darlington County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Darlington County ranks 4th of the six; 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% |
| Lee County, SC | 96 | 22.8% | 39.4% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 91 | 18.5% | 35.8% |
| Florence County, SC | 89 | 17.5% | 27.7% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 64 | 12.2% | 27.4% |
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 Darlington County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Darlington County's poverty rate was 24.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Darlington County ranks 4th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Darlington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.