In Pickens County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Pickens County, 27.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pickens County's score
In Pickens County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.3. About three in ten renters (31.1%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pickens 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.
Pickens County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (46.5, 2025) and children below the poverty line (15.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent31.1% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 62.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.5% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 58.9 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 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,163 · 202454th percentile
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- 32.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.8% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people46.5 · 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pickens County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pickens County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pickens County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pickens County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.7% in 2019 to 8.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Pickens County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.3%
Low on the chart: 8.0% 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, Pickens County, South Carolina.
How Pickens County has changed
Pickens County's population had its largest rise, from 58,689 in 1969 to 69,857 in 1974.
Pickens County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 138,207, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 122,200. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pickens County, South Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pickens County rose by about a quarter to 40,585, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 40,585. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pickens County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,644 | 2024 $65,163 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pickens County's history
1826
Created 1826 from Pendleton District. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in January 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in January 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in August 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in July 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 131,404, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pickens County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pickens County beside its neighbors
Pickens County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in South Carolina and North Carolina. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pickens County ranks 4th of the five; Oconee County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County, SC | 67 | 15.6% | 25.5% |
| Anderson County, SC | 56 | 13.1% | 26.6% |
| Oconee County, SC | 52 | 16.1% | 27.3% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 44 | 12.0% | 27.3% |
| Greenville County, SC | 43 | 9.9% | 19.2% |
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 Pickens County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Pickens County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 29th 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, Pickens County ranks 30th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pickens 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.