About one in nine people in York County, South Carolina, has a disability
In York County, 10.7% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives York County's score
In York County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 18.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in York 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.
York County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
-
- 50.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
-
- 45.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
-
- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.0% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.9 · 202533rd percentile
-
- 18.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,037 · 20248th percentile
-
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 York 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 York County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
York County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in York County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 14.5% in 2004 to 17.5% in 2009.
In York County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In York County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in York County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 11.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, York County, South Carolina.
How York County has changed
York County's population had its largest rise, from 181,839 in 2004 to 223,616 in 2009.
York County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 303,001, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 93,122. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, York County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in York County had its largest rise, from 84,859 in 2015 to 96,903 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in York County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 106,236, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 51,923. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, York County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,502 | 2024 $94,037 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 York County's history
1785
Established 1785. Wikipedia
2002
A thunderstorm in May 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in November 2011 did $1 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 282,090, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A thunderstorm in February 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail in April 2024 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered York County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
York County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border York County, in South Carolina and North Carolina, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, York County ranks 7th of the eight; Union County is highest, at 40.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, SC | 91 | 18.7% | 40.1% |
| Chester County, SC | 86 | 16.4% | 33.6% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 82 | 16.4% | 32.6% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 80 | 16.3% | 33.4% |
| Gaston County, NC | 73 | 12.4% | 25.6% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 49 | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| York County, SC | 42 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 39 | 10.2% | 22.8% |
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 York County the poorest county in South Carolina?
No, York County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 45th 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, York County ranks 43rd of 46 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in York 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.
-
South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
-
Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
-
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.
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 York County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.