About two in five people with a credit file in Florence County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Florence County, 39.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Florence County's score
In Florence County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 11.9%, August 2025, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 73.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Florence 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.
Florence County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (14.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.9% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.0% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 73.4 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 rent24.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
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- 73.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 72.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people132.6 · 202552nd percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.5% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.7% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,320 · 202466th 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 Florence 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 Florence County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Florence County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Florence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Florence County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Florence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.0% in 2019 to 15.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Florence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.7% 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, Florence County, South Carolina.
How Florence County has changed
Florence County's population had its largest rise, from 88,983 in 1969 to 99,501 in 1974.
Florence County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 138,049
High on the chart: 138,516 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Florence County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Florence County rose by about a third to 69,704, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 69,704. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Florence County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.0% | 2024 17.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,679 | 2024 $61,320 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Florence County's history
1864
Florence Stockade held 12,000-18,000 Union prisoners during Civil War, over 2,800 died. Wikipedia
1888
Formed from main sections of Darlington and Marion Counties, plus other townships from Williamsburg and Clarendon Counties, starting in 1888. Wikipedia
1997
Lightning in September 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in October 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in October 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 137,059, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Florence County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Florence County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Florence County, seven score higher. Of the group, Florence County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Marlboro County gets the largest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg County, SC | 99 | 25.5% | 39.0% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 98 | 30.2% | 40.5% |
| Darlington County, SC | 97 | 24.6% | 32.0% |
| Lee County, SC | 96 | 22.8% | 39.4% |
| Marion County, SC | 94 | 30.8% | 39.9% |
| Sumter County, SC | 93 | 16.7% | 31.3% |
| Dillon County, SC | 92 | 23.8% | 40.5% |
| Florence County, SC | 89 | 17.5% | 27.7% |
| Clarendon County, SC | 89 | 17.4% | 37.8% |
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 Florence County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Florence County's poverty rate was 17.5% in 2024, 15th 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, Florence County ranks 16th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Florence 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 Florence 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 Florence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.