About one in three people with a credit file in Newberry County, South Carolina, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Newberry County, 32.3% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newberry County's score
In Newberry County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 80.4. People with a credit card behind: 7.9%, August 2025, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Newberry 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.
Newberry County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.3%, fiscal year 2027) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (72.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.8% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 68.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.7% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,521 · 202456th percentile
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- 58.3 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 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 50.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.3% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.1 · 202520th percentile
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- 44.4 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 rent22.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202716th 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 Newberry 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 Newberry County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Newberry County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Newberry County had its largest rise, from 22.6% in 2004 to 26.9% in 2009.
In Newberry County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Newberry County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Newberry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.4% in 2011 to 17.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Newberry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.0% 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, Newberry County, South Carolina.
How Newberry County has changed
Newberry County's population rose by about a third to 39,203, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 35,995. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Newberry County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Newberry County rose by about a quarter to 14,441, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 12,820. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Newberry County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,367 | 2024 $64,521 |
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 Newberry County's history
1880
First cotton mills constructed in Newberry County in 1880s, became important part of economy until mechanization reduced labor needs. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in December 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in December 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in December 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 37,719, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newberry County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Newberry County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Newberry County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Newberry County ranks 5th of the eight; Union County is highest, at 40.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield County, SC | 91 | 16.9% | 34.0% |
| Union County, SC | 91 | 18.7% | 40.1% |
| Richland County, SC | 85 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Laurens County, SC | 80 | 16.9% | 36.9% |
| Saluda County, SC | 75 | 15.1% | 28.0% |
| Newberry County, SC | 67 | 17.3% | 29.9% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 67 | 16.3% | 31.6% |
| 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 Newberry County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Newberry County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 18th 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, Newberry County ranks 29th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Newberry 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 Newberry 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 Newberry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.