About half people with a credit file in Marlboro County, South Carolina, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Marlboro County, 50.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marlboro County's score
In Marlboro County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 98.1. People with a credit card behind: 13.5%, August 2025, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 92.1.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Marlboro County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Marlboro County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 98.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.3% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a credit card behind13.5% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.4% · Q4 202597th percentile
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- 92.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.5% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average7.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202698th percentile
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- 91.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line36.5% · 202497th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,380 · 202496th percentile
- People below the poverty line30.2% · 202498th percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 78.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector50.9% · August 202599th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.1 · 202556th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Marlboro County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marlboro County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marlboro County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 41 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Marlboro County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 41 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Marlboro County, South Carolina: 40.5% and 49.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 40.5% of all personal income in Marlboro County, South Carolina (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Marlboro County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Marlboro County has changed
The number of people living in Marlboro County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 27,095 to 25,498. The number of jobs located there fell by about four in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.7% in 1990 to 7.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 27,095 | 2024 25,498 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,896 | 2024 5,591 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 7.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.5% | 2024 30.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,248 | 2024 $45,380 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.8% | 2024 40.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Marlboro County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 33,281. The 2020 Census counted 26,667, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1785
Established March 12, 1785 by the South Carolina General Assembly from Natchitoches Parish. Wikipedia
1885
Textile mills built. Wikipedia
1984
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, seven deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1984
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marlboro County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Marlboro County beside its neighbors
Marlboro County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in South Carolina and North Carolina. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marlboro County ranks 2nd of the nine; Robeson County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro County, SC | 98 | 30.2% | 40.5% |
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Darlington County, SC | 97 | 24.6% | 32.0% |
| Scotland County, NC | 94 | 22.9% | 39.2% |
| Richmond County, NC | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Anson County, NC | 92 | 21.3% | 33.5% |
| Dillon County, SC | 92 | 23.8% | 40.5% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 91 | 18.5% | 35.8% |
| Florence County, SC | 89 | 17.5% | 27.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Marlboro County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Marlboro County's poverty rate was 30.2% in 2024, 3rd 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, Marlboro County ranks 2nd of 46 in the state.
Marlboro County in photographs
Places in Marlboro County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Photo of the Marlboro County Courthouse, Bennettsville, South Carolina, US.
Looking southward on South Carolina Highway 912 from the Brickyard Road intersection northwest of Bennettsville in Marlboro County, South Carolina, United States.
Marlboro County, South Carolina: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Marlboro County, South Carolina?
30.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 36.5%.
Is Marlboro County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Marlboro County's poverty rate was 30.2% in 2024, 3rd 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, Marlboro County ranks 2nd of 46 in the state.
What is the population of Marlboro County, South Carolina?
About 25,498 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 26,667, 80% of the county's peak of 33,281 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marlboro County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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SC Legal Services (Palmetto Legal Services / Greater Columbia Community Relations Council)
Legal aid
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Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Marlboro County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Marlboro County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.