These 3 SC cities have more people behind on debt payments than most in the US, new study shows
For many South Carolinians, the past year has been a struggle to dig themselves out of a financial hole, a new study shows.
A recent LendingTree analysis found that out of the country’s 100 largest metro areas, three South Carolina cities have among the highest percentage of people behind on debt payments. More people in those cities struggle to pay off their credit cards, mortgages, cars and student loans.
But which South Carolina cities have the most struggling residents? Here are the three cities and what the study discovered about them.
Columbia
Columbia has the fifth highest percentage of residents behind on debt payments nationwide. In Columbia, 44.6% of residents are late on at least one payment, while 11.5% are behind on three or more.
Greenville
Greenville ranked ninth in the nation of percentage of debt payment delinquent residents. In the city, 42.6% if residents are behind on at least one payment and 8.5% are late on three or more.
Charleston
Charleston came in at 18th for cities with the highest percentage of residents behind on debt payments. Charleston has 36.8% of residents behind on at least one payment and 7.1% late on three or more
Debt findings for rest of U.S.
South Carolina is part of a trend of southerners falling behind on debt payments. According to the study, the U.S. cities with the most residents behind on a debt payment were all in the South.
Overall, 29.6% of Americans are behind on their debt payments. Of those, 27.3% have debt that’s seriously delinquent (overdue by 90 days or more).
Also, 36.7% of millennials and 36.2% of Gen Zers are late on at least one debt payment, the study shows.
LendingTree used credit reports of about 310,000 of its users from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2023 in the 100 largest U.S. metros to perform the study.
Debt delinquency rankings
Here are the 20 cities with the highest percentage of Americans late on debt payments.
| Rank | Metro | Late on 1 payment | Late on 3 or more payments |
| 1 | McAllen, TX | 51.7% | 12.8% |
| 2 | El Paso, TX | 46.3% | 11.7% |
| 3 | Baton Rouge, LA | 45% | 11.6% |
| 4 | Greensboro, NC | 44.8% | 9.2% |
| 5 | Columbia, SC | 44.6% | 11.5% |
| 6 | Jackson, MS | 44% | 12.7% |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | 43.8% | 7.5% |
| 8 | Augusta, GA | 43.3% | 7.5% |
| 9 | Greenville, SC | 42.6% | 8.5% |
| 10 | Memphis, TN | 42.5% | 8.5% |
| 11 | Winston-Salem, NC | 41.4% | 8.4% |
| 12 | New Orleans, LA | 41.1% | 8.8% |
| 13 | Birmingham, AL | 39.8% | 8.9% |
| 14 | Little Rock, AR | 39.6% | 8.1% |
| 15 | Lakeland, FL | 38.9% | 8.1% |
| 16 | Houston, TX | 38.1% | 9.3% |
| 17 | Dallas, TX | 37.9% | 8.8% |
| 18 | Charleston, SC | 36.8% | 9.8% |
| 19 | Tulsa, OK | 36.1% | 7.9% |
| 20 | Jacksonville, FL | 36% | 7.1% |
