Unemployment in Georgetown County, South Carolina, is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Georgetown County, 5.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Georgetown County's score
In Georgetown County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 72.2. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.2%, August 2025, higher than in 84% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 70.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Georgetown 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.
Georgetown County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (60.9, 2025) and median household income ($67,196, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 70.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 66.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,196 · 202448th percentile
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- 49.9 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
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- 39.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.9 · 202515th 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 Georgetown 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 Georgetown County, 30.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Georgetown County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Georgetown County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Georgetown County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Georgetown County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.0% in 2019 to 13.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Georgetown County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 11.5%
Low on the chart: 10.5% 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, Georgetown County, South Carolina.
How Georgetown County has changed
Georgetown County's population had its largest rise, from 49,973 in 1994 to 55,053 in 1999.
Georgetown County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 66,035, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 60,901. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Georgetown County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Georgetown County rose by about half to 24,861, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 21,262. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Georgetown County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.6% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,112 | 2024 $67,196 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Georgetown County's history
1850
Rice replaced indigo as chief commodity crop in Georgetown area during antebellum era. Wikipedia
1850
Timber industry developed in Georgetown area with sawmills built. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flood in March 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Heavy rain in September 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 63,404, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Georgetown County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Georgetown County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Georgetown County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Georgetown County ranks 4th of the six; Marion County is highest, at 39.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg County, SC | 99 | 25.5% | 39.0% |
| Marion County, SC | 94 | 30.8% | 39.9% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
| Georgetown County, SC | 66 | 17.4% | 28.5% |
| Berkeley County, SC | 58 | 8.9% | 19.1% |
| Charleston County, SC | 38 | 10.3% | 13.7% |
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 Georgetown County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Georgetown County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 16th 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, Georgetown County ranks 33rd of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Georgetown 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 Georgetown 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 Georgetown County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.