Unemployment in Greenwood County, South Carolina, is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Greenwood County, 5.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greenwood County's score
In Greenwood County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 77.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 7.8%, August 2025, higher than in 81% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 73.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greenwood 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.
Greenwood County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (57.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.5% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.5% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability11.6% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,337 · 202477th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.9% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.6 · 202513th percentile
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- 45.5 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greenwood County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Greenwood County had its largest rise, from 21.3% in 2004 to 29.0% in 2009.
In Greenwood County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Greenwood County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greenwood County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.7% in 2011 to 18.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Greenwood County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 13.6%
Low on the chart: 11.2% 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, Greenwood County, South Carolina.
How Greenwood County has changed
Greenwood County's population rose by about a third to 70,041, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 56,929. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greenwood County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Greenwood County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 30,408 in 2005 to 27,290 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Greenwood County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 32,463 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greenwood County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,872 | 2024 $57,337 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Greenwood County's history
1890
First cotton mill in Greenwood opened 1890 with 75 workers; nearly failed 1908 before James C. Self took over and built one of largest privately held companies in industry. Wikipedia
1897
Formed in 1897 from portions of Abbeville and Edgefield counties. Wikipedia
1910
Great Migration 1910-1940: African Americans left rural Greenwood County for industrial cities of North and Midwest. Wikipedia
1920
Cotton crops throughout South damaged by boll weevil in early 20th century. Wikipedia
1933
Buzzard's Roost Dam on Saluda River built to impound Lake Greenwood and generate electricity, New Deal project. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in December 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in December 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in April 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Hail in March 2008 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 69,661. The 2020 Census counted 69,351, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greenwood County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greenwood County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greenwood County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greenwood County ranks 4th of the seven; McCormick County is highest, at 45.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, SC | 80 | 16.9% | 36.9% |
| Saluda County, SC | 75 | 15.1% | 28.0% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 70 | 16.8% | 29.3% |
| Newberry County, SC | 67 | 17.3% | 29.9% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 67 | 16.3% | 31.6% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 63 | 16.7% | 34.9% |
| McCormick County, SC | 52 | 13.4% | 45.6% |
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 Greenwood County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Greenwood County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 26th 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, Greenwood County ranks 31st of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greenwood 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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.