In Jasper County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Jasper County, 27.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jasper County's score
In Jasper County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.8. Jobs come next, at 65.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jasper 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.
Jasper County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (4.5%, August 2025) and people with a disability (14.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
-
- 65.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
-
- 62.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,873 · 202446th percentile
-
- 57.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.2 · 202551st percentile
-
- 47.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
-
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 Jasper 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 Jasper County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jasper County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jasper County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jasper County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jasper County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.5% in 2012 to 22.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Jasper County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 18.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jasper County, South Carolina.
How Jasper County has changed
Jasper County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 27,997 in 2019 to 35,618 in 2024.
Jasper County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35,618, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 14,675. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jasper County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Jasper County had its largest rise, from 8,099 in 2015 to 9,643 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jasper County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,144, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,855. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jasper County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.8% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,540 | 2024 $67,873 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Jasper County's history
1912
Formed in 1912 from portions of Hampton County and Beaufort County. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 28,791, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jasper County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jasper County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Jasper County, in South Carolina and Georgia, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jasper County ranks 2nd of the five; Hampton County is highest, at 36.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton County, SC | 81 | 20.5% | 36.3% |
| Chatham County, GA | 79 | 13.9% | 20.2% |
| Jasper County, SC | 74 | 14.5% | 30.4% |
| Effingham County, GA | 45 | 7.8% | 19.2% |
| Beaufort County, SC | 38 | 8.4% | 19.7% |
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 Jasper County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Jasper County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 32nd 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, Jasper County ranks 25th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jasper 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.
-
South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
-
Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
-
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 Jasper 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 Jasper County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.