About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Oconee County, South Carolina, is not working
In Oconee County, 24.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oconee County's score
In Oconee County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 68.9. About three in ten children (29.5%, 2024) live below the poverty line, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 67.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oconee 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.
Oconee County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (15.5%, fiscal year 2027) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (45.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.1% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.5% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,144 · 202442nd percentile
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- 67.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.6% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 41.1 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.5% · fiscal year 20274th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45.6 · 20258th 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 Oconee 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 Oconee County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oconee County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Oconee County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 20.7% in 2004 to 27.6% in 2009.
In Oconee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Oconee County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oconee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2011 to 14.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Oconee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.1% 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, Oconee County, South Carolina.
How Oconee County has changed
Oconee County's population had its largest rise, from 51,003 in 1984 to 56,781 in 1989.
Oconee County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 82,475, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 74,704. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oconee County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Oconee County had its largest rise in the last span, from 23,460 in 2020 to 25,929 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Oconee County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 21,285 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oconee County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 16.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,532 | 2024 $69,144 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Oconee County's history
1848
German Colonization Society brought wave of German immigrants fleeing failed revolutions of 1848-1849. Wikipedia
1868
Created 1868 from part of Pickens District. Wikipedia
1893
Newry established as mill village for Courtenay Manufacturing Company textile workers in 1893. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in March 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 78,607, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 did $100 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oconee County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oconee County beside its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Oconee County, in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oconee County ranks 8th of the 11; Stephens County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephens County, GA | 87 | 17.7% | 32.9% |
| Franklin County, GA | 73 | 15.2% | 29.1% |
| Pickens County, SC | 67 | 15.6% | 25.5% |
| Hart County, GA | 57 | 13.7% | 28.9% |
| Anderson County, SC | 56 | 13.1% | 26.6% |
| Oconee County, SC | 52 | 16.1% | 27.3% |
| Jackson County, NC | 50 | 16.9% | 29.1% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 44 | 12.0% | 27.3% |
| Habersham County, GA | 44 | 13.6% | 28.3% |
| Macon County, NC | 39 | 12.2% | 32.6% |
| Rabun County, GA | 37 | 11.7% | 29.9% |
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 Oconee County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Oconee County's poverty rate was 16.1% in 2024, 27th 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, Oconee County ranks 39th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oconee 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 Oconee 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 Oconee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.