Darlington County, South Carolina Eviction Risk: Low

Darlington County scores 2.8/10 (Moderate) on the eviction-risk scale, averaged across 7 cities with a combined population of 19,737. That county-wide figure places it 13th of 46 counties in South Carolina eviction laws, meaning 12 counties carry more risk and 33 are more landlord-friendly. For investors, that position in the higher-risk third of the state calls for deliberate underwriting rather than a casual entry.

The intra-county spread runs from 4.1 to 5.3, a full 1.2-point range across communities that share the same courthouse and the same state statutes. Average rent sits at $921 per month, yet the average rent burden is 42.7% of household income. That level of rent-to-income pressure is a reliable predictor of collection friction, and it shapes how landlords should size security deposits and screen applicants throughout the county.

The cities inside Darlington County

The city of Darlington leads at 5.3/10 with a population of 6,120, the highest risk reading in the county. Hartsville follows at 5.2/10 and is the largest city in the county at 7,419 residents. Both cities combine meaningful rental demand with the higher collection and turnover risk that accompanies elevated poverty rates, so cash-flow assumptions built on stable occupancy need a wider margin here. Society Hill (4.9/10) and North Hartsville (4.8/10, pop. 3,304) sit in the middle of the county range. Risk is genuinely hyper-local across these markets, and a portfolio straddling Darlington and Lydia carries meaningfully different risk profiles within the same county.

The lower end of the scale belongs to smaller communities. Lamar and Dovesville each score 4.4/10, while Lydia, at a population of just 190, posts the county's most landlord-favorable reading of 4.1/10. Thin rental markets in these smaller towns limit scale, but the operating fundamentals are quieter.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Darlington County operates under S.C. Code § 27-40 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). Non-payment of rent triggers a 5-day pay-or-quit notice; a lease violation gives the tenant 14 days to cure; ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice. Landlords must give 24 hours advance notice before entering a unit. South Carolina eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts local rent-control ordinances, so no municipality in the county can cap rents independently. Understanding the full South Carolina eviction laws eviction process matters here because uncontested cases resolve in 21 to 45 days while contested proceedings can stretch to 100 days. Total out-of-pocket costs for the South Carolina eviction costs range from a low of roughly $635 (filing $110, sheriff $25, attorney $500) to a high of $2,800 (filing $200, sheriff $100, attorney $2,500), figures that should be factored into any underwriting model for this market.

With an average poverty rate of 29.7% and 36.6% of households renting, Darlington County's risk is concentrated but not uniform. The city-level grid below shows where within the county that exposure is highest.