About one in two people with a credit file in Marion County, South Carolina, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Marion County, 46.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 97.4. Jobs come next, at 95.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (63.1, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.5% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.4% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score64.5% · second quarter of 202698th percentile
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- 95.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202696th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 90.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line30.8% · 202498th percentile
- Children below the poverty line49.0% · 202499th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,214 · 202497th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector46.1% · August 202598th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.1 · 202516th percentile
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- 54.0 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 rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th 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 Marion 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 Marion County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marion County rose most in two steps: 20.2% in 1989 to 26.2% in 1994; 31.5% in 2004 to 37.5% in 2009.
In Marion County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 39.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Marion County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2011 to 27.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Marion 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: 22.0% 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, Marion County, South Carolina.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population had its largest rise, from 29,494 in 1969 to 32,711 in 1974.
Marion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 35,425 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Marion County had its largest drop, from 11,933 in 2000 to 9,363 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Marion County fell 44% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 12,616 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.7% | 2024 30.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,238 | 2024 $44,214 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 Marion County's history
1982
A tornado in June 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 35,466. The 2020 Census counted 29,183, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in October 2016 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Marion County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marion County ranks 2nd of the six; Dillon County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg County, SC | 99 | 25.5% | 39.0% |
| Marion County, SC | 94 | 30.8% | 39.9% |
| Dillon County, SC | 92 | 23.8% | 40.5% |
| Florence County, SC | 89 | 17.5% | 27.7% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
| Georgetown County, SC | 66 | 17.4% | 28.5% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 30.8% in 2024, 2nd 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, Marion County ranks 7th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.