Union County, South Carolina

County Distress Index: Serious · 74.8 | 26,629 people · 2nd most distressed in South Carolina
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Union County, SC shows significant household financial distress with a score of 74.8 — 72nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Carolina, it ranks 2nd of 46 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Union County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.5 — worse than roughly 96% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.5
Poverty Rate 93
Income vs. State Median 98
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 80.3
Uninsured Rate 75
Disability Rate 85
Debt & Delinquency 74.8
Debt in Collections 91
Medical Debt 38
Student Loan Delinquency 97
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 90
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 39
Employment & Wages 66.8
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 56
Business Formation Rate 50
Housing Cost Burden 56.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 43
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 34
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 73
Rent-to-Income Ratio 97

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Union County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Union County
Union County, SC 74.8 Serious —
Fairfield County, SC 69.5 Serious -5.3
Laurens County, SC 64.4 Elevated -10.4
Chester County, SC 64.0 Elevated -10.8
Newberry County, SC 60.6 Elevated -14.2
Cherokee County, SC 58.4 Elevated -16.3
Spartanburg County, SC 54.1 Elevated -20.6
York County, SC 46.0 Normal -28.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Union County
Trinity County, TX 74.8 Serious +0.0
Frio County, TX 74.7 Serious -0.1
Calhoun County, FL 74.9 Serious +0.1
Coahoma County, MS 74.9 Serious +0.1
St. Francis County, AR 74.9 Serious +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Union County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Union County

Find an Attorney

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

South Carolina Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 803-799-7100

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Union County residents at no cost.

SC Legal Services (Palmetto Legal Services / Greater Columbia Community Relations Council) 1-888-346-5592
Upstate Legal Services 864-679-3232
Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar 803-799-6653
Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services 843-853-3304
South Carolina Legal Services, Inc. (888) 346-5592

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Union County, South Carolina?

    Union County has a County Distress Index score of 74.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 72nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 2nd in South Carolina out of 46 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Union County?

    The primary driver of distress in Union County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Union County compare to neighboring counties?

    Union County (74.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Fairfield County, SC (69.5); Laurens County, SC (64.4); Chester County, SC (64.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Union County?

    Union County, South Carolina has a population of approximately 26,629 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.