Dillon County, South Carolina Eviction Risk: Moderate

Dillon County sits in the northeastern corner of South Carolina's Pee Dee region, bordered by North Carolina to the north and Marion County to the south. With a total tracked population of 11,388 across 9 municipalities, it is one of the smaller rural counties in the state - and one where landlord-tenant law follows South Carolina eviction laws's statewide framework almost entirely, with no local overlays complicating the picture. The county's composite eviction risk score is 4/10 (Moderate), placing it 15th of 46 South Carolina counties when ranked from highest to lowest risk. That puts Dillon in the higher-risk tier of the state: 21 counties carry higher risk scores and 24 carry lower ones.

Scores across Dillon's tracked communities span a range of 3.6 to 4.6, which is a relatively tight band. The county seat of Dillon (population 6,354 - the largest municipality by a wide margin) scores 4/10, anchoring the low end of the range. Latta, the second-largest community at 1,455 residents, scores 4/10. Hamer (1,042 residents) and Little Rock (306 residents) each score 3.6/10 at the county average. Moving toward the higher end, Newtown (972 residents) scores 4.6/10 and Sellers (192 residents) scores 4/10. The highest-scoring community in the county is the small rural settlement of Floydale, with a score of 4/10 - touching the top of the county's spread at 4.6. Lake View, meanwhile, comes in at 4/10, the lowest individual score in the county and well below the state average of 3.8.

The underlying drivers of these scores reflect Dillon County's economic profile: a 36.8% poverty rate (one of the highest in South Carolina), an average rent of $698 per month, a rent burden of 27.1%, and a renter share of 41.3% of households. These figures push the risk signal upward relative to wealthier Upstate counties, but South Carolina's landlord-friendly statutory framework - short notice periods, low filing fees, and no just-cause or rent-control requirements anywhere in the state - keeps the overall score squarely in Moderate territory. Landlords filing for non-payment of rent must give only a 5-day notice under S.C. Code SS 27-40; an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days from filing. Court filing fees run $110 to $200, and sheriff lockout fees are a modest $25 to $100. Attorney fees for a straightforward eviction range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity and whether the tenant contests. For landlords accustomed to markets with local rent stabilization overlays, Dillon County - and South Carolina generally - operates on a simpler, more predictable legal baseline.

Dillon County's Moderate risk rating reflects a state statutory environment that is consistently favorable to landlords combined with a rural economy where eviction filings, when they occur, move through the magistrate court system without the procedural friction found in larger metro areas. The absence of local rent control (the state preempts it) and no source-of-income protections means landlords face the standard statewide rules and little else.