In Lexington County, South Carolina, benefit checks make up only 21 cents of every dollar of income
In Lexington County, 20.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lexington County's score
In Lexington County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 65.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 36.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lexington 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.
Even so, Lexington County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people106.3 · 202539th percentile
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- 45.6 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 rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,712 · 202422nd 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 Lexington 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 Lexington County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lexington County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lexington County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lexington County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lexington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2011 to 10.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Lexington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.8% 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, Lexington County, South Carolina.
How Lexington County has changed
Lexington County's population had its largest rise, from 84,983 in 1969 to 113,994 in 1974.
Lexington County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 313,774, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 149,545. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lexington County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Lexington County had its largest rise, from 92,978 in 2010 to 113,091 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Lexington County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 134,271, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 92,978. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lexington County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,115 | 2024 $78,712 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Lexington County's history
1785
Chartered in 1785 and named after Battles of Lexington and Concord. Wikipedia
1865
During Civil War Carolinas campaign, Union forces destroyed much of Lexington including courthouse as they protected Sherman's western flank. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in August 1994 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A tornado in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in August 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in June 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 293,991, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lexington County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lexington County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Lexington County score higher than it does. Of the group, Lexington County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Orangeburg County gets the largest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County, SC | 96 | 21.0% | 37.0% |
| Calhoun County, SC | 88 | 14.8% | 28.0% |
| Richland County, SC | 85 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Saluda County, SC | 75 | 15.1% | 28.0% |
| Aiken County, SC | 68 | 13.7% | 26.1% |
| Newberry County, SC | 67 | 17.3% | 29.9% |
| Lexington County, SC | 47 | 11.3% | 20.5% |
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 Lexington County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Lexington County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 39th 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, Lexington County ranks 41st of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.