Hampton County, South Carolina Eviction Risk: Low

Hampton County sits in the higher-risk of South Carolina eviction laws's 46 counties for landlord-tenant friction, carrying an eviction risk score of 2.9/10 (Low) and ranking 4th of 46 statewide - meaning only 3 counties present a higher-risk operating environment for landlords. Across the county's 10 municipalities, individual city scores span from 2.1 to 3.1/10, a range that reflects real variation in local poverty exposure, rent burden, and renter density even within this small rural market. With about 10,077 residents and average rents near $805 per month, Hampton County is a thinly traded rental market where a single contested eviction can loom large relative to a landlord's portfolio.

The county seat, the City of Hampton, scores 3/10, while Varnville matches that at 3/10. The riskiest municipality in the county is Estill at 3.1/10 - the only city here that exceeds the county average - driven by a poverty rate that runs well above the county's already elevated 19.9% figure and a renter share concentrated in older housing stock with limited turnover. Scotia also registers at 3/10. At the lower end, Furman scores 2.4/10 and Yemassee scores 2.6/10, the two communities where renter demographics and income levels produce the smallest friction signals. Brunson (2.8/10) and Gifford (2.8/10) sit in the middle of the local range, and Luray comes in at 2.7/10.

Hampton County's 30.4% average rent-burden rate - the share of renter household income going to rent - sits above the standard 30% affordability threshold, which matters operationally because rent-burdened tenants have less buffer against income disruptions. That buffer erosion translates into higher nonpayment risk for landlords, particularly in Estill and Hampton where poverty rates are sharpest. The county's 34.7% renter share is moderate, meaning ownership still dominates, but the renter pool that does exist skews toward lower-income households. South Carolina's statewide average is 2.5/10; Hampton County's position 4th spots from the top puts it notably above that benchmark, a gap landlords should weigh before expanding here versus higher-income coastal or Midlands markets.

Hampton County's 2.9/10 eviction risk score reflects a combination of elevated poverty (19.9%), above-threshold rent burden (30.4%), and a small, economically stressed renter pool concentrated in a handful of towns. Scores across the county range from 2.1 to 3.1/10, with Estill (3.1/10) anchoring the high end and Furman (2.4/10) the low end. The county's 4th-of-46 statewide rank places it in the higher-risk tier despite carrying a Low label - a signal that even nominally low-risk rural counties in economically distressed regions warrant careful per-unit underwriting.