In Sumter County, South Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Sumter County, 28.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sumter County's score
In Sumter County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 89.8. People with a credit card behind: 9.3%, August 2025, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 83.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sumter 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.
Sumter County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (15.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.3% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 83.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.9% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people200.6 · 202575th percentile
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- 83.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,234 · 202477th percentile
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- 65.6 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd 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 Sumter 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 Sumter County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sumter County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sumter County had its largest rise, from 20.9% in 2004 to 27.0% in 2009.
In Sumter County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 31.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sumter County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sumter County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.0% in 2011 to 18.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Sumter County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.1% 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, Sumter County, South Carolina.
How Sumter County has changed
Sumter County's population had its largest rise, from 94,657 in 1984 to 101,933 in 1989.
Sumter County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 104,776
High on the chart: 107,395 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sumter County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Sumter County had its largest rise, from 37,409 in 1995 to 41,685 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Sumter County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 41,685 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sumter County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.1% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,468 | 2024 $57,234 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Sumter County's history
1753
Turkish immigrants including Joseph Benenhaley fled Ottoman Empire and settled to serve in American Revolution. Wikipedia
1798
Created as Sumter District 1798; became effective 1800. Wikipedia
1941
Shaw Air Force Base opened 1941 driving industrial growth. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in September 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in May 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in September 2004 did $1.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in April 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 107,456. The 2020 Census counted 105,556, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sumter County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sumter County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sumter County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sumter County ranks 3rd of the seven; Lee County is highest, at 39.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, SC | 96 | 22.8% | 39.4% |
| Sumter County, SC | 93 | 16.7% | 31.3% |
| Florence County, SC | 89 | 17.5% | 27.7% |
| Clarendon County, SC | 89 | 17.4% | 37.8% |
| Calhoun County, SC | 88 | 14.8% | 28.0% |
| Richland County, SC | 85 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 64 | 12.2% | 27.4% |
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 Sumter County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, Sumter County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 22nd 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, Sumter County ranks 8th of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sumter 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 Sumter 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 Sumter County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.