In 2022, Social Security transfers in South Carolina totaled $23.28 billion, amounting to $4,408 per capita, or 36.6% of total government transfers in the state, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor. Medicare was the second largest, totaling $16.39 billion, equating to $3,103 per capita and making up 25.8% of total transfers.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in South Carolina in 2022, accounting for $7.81 billion, averaging $1,479 per capita, and represented 12.3% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $6.96 billion, averaging $1,317 per capita and comprising 11% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $63.54 billion, and accounted for 22.4% of residents’ total income, with an average of $12,028 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 18.9% of the population aged 65 and older, South Carolina has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in South Carolina, excluding government transfers was $41,590.8, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $53,618, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, South Carolina saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.5%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In South Carolina, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 7.3% (or $1,382 per capita) in 1970 to 22.4% (or $12,028 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County | 1 | 18.1% | 16.7% | 7% | 4.7% | 2.2% | 1.9% | $10,268 |
| Horry County | 2 | 31.2% | 26.3% | 13.3% | 9.1% | 2.2% | 2.3% | $14,637 |
| Richland County | 3 | 20.4% | 14.1% | 6.3% | 4% | 2.9% | 2.5% | $11,015 |
| Charleston County | 4 | 13.3% | 17.9% | 5% | 3.4% | 1.7% | 1.2% | $10,152 |
| Spartanburg County | 5 | 20.5% | 16.2% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 2.6% | 2.6% | $10,810 |
| Lexington County | 6 | 19.1% | 17.1% | 7.1% | 4.9% | 2.1% | 2% | $10,916 |
| York County | 7 | 16% | 15.4% | 6.3% | 4.1% | 1.7% | 1.6% | $9,432 |
| Beaufort County | 8 | 19% | 28.5% | 8.7% | 5.5% | 1.1% | 1.2% | $13,685 |
| Anderson County | 9 | 25.2% | 18.4% | 9.5% | 6.8% | 3% | 2.8% | $12,034 |
| Berkeley County | 10 | 17.9% | 15% | 6.5% | 3.6% | 1.8% | 2.2% | $9,080 |
| Aiken County | 11 | 24.3% | 20.9% | 9.5% | 5.9% | 3% | 2.7% | $12,534 |
| Dorchester County | 12 | 24.8% | 15.2% | 7.4% | 8.1% | 2.6% | 2.4% | $11,830 |
| Florence County | 13 | 26.5% | 17.9% | 8% | 6.6% | 5.1% | 3.6% | $13,791 |
| Pickens County | 14 | 24.4% | 17.3% | 9% | 7.1% | 2.7% | 2.3% | $11,183 |
| Sumter County | 15 | 30% | 17.7% | 8.6% | 6.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% | $13,982 |
| Lancaster County | 16 | 22.2% | 21.6% | 9.2% | 6.5% | 2% | 2% | $12,236 |
| Orangeburg County | 17 | 36.6% | 21.1% | 11.2% | 9.2% | 6.5% | 5.3% | $15,043 |
| Oconee County | 18 | 25.6% | 24.8% | 10.7% | 7.2% | 2.7% | 2.1% | $13,905 |
| Georgetown County | 19 | 28.5% | 30.8% | 12.2% | 8% | 2.9% | 2.5% | $16,295 |
| Laurens County | 20 | 35.6% | 19% | 11.1% | 10.7% | 6.6% | 4% | $15,193 |
| Kershaw County | 21 | 26.3% | 19% | 8.7% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 2.7% | $13,853 |
| Greenwood County | 22 | 30.7% | 19.5% | 10.8% | 7.8% | 4.1% | 3.8% | $13,421 |
| Darlington County | 23 | 30.6% | 19.7% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 5.2% | 4.4% | $14,583 |
| Cherokee County | 24 | 32.1% | 17.5% | 11.6% | 8.3% | 4.5% | 4.4% | $12,442 |
| Colleton County | 25 | 37.3% | 20.6% | 11.4% | 11% | 5.8% | 4.8% | $15,655 |
| Chesterfield County | 26 | 33.5% | 19.5% | 11.4% | 8.1% | 5.7% | 4.8% | $13,083 |
| Newberry County | 27 | 28.8% | 20.7% | 10.4% | 7.8% | 4% | 3.3% | $13,661 |
| Clarendon County | 28 | 37.3% | 25.1% | 12% | 10.2% | 6.1% | 4.6% | $16,889 |
| Marion County | 29 | 39.5% | 21.7% | 11.9% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 6.4% | $16,221 |
| Chester County | 30 | 33.8% | 19.6% | 11.6% | 8.9% | 5.1% | 4.8% | $13,987 |
| Williamsburg County | 31 | 38.4% | 22.7% | 12.4% | 7.4% | 7.9% | 6.3% | $14,765 |
| Dillon County | 32 | 39.7% | 17.8% | 10.8% | 10% | 8% | 7.1% | $15,532 |
| Union County | 33 | 39% | 21.6% | 14% | 10.7% | 6% | 4.9% | $14,885 |
| Jasper County | 34 | 29.6% | 23.4% | 13.2% | 6% | 3.2% | 3.7% | $12,162 |
| Marlboro County | 35 | 38% | 19.4% | 11.6% | 9.9% | 6.8% | 6.1% | $14,387 |
| Edgefield County | 36 | 27.5% | 20.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | $13,486 |
| Fairfield County | 37 | 32.4% | 24.2% | 10.8% | 7.8% | 5.9% | 4.1% | $16,217 |
| Abbeville County | 38 | 34.1% | 23% | 12.8% | 8.4% | 4.7% | 3.8% | $13,588 |
| Barnwell County | 39 | 37.5% | 19.5% | 10.9% | 9.5% | 7.5% | 6.1% | $14,685 |
| Hampton County | 40 | 36.5% | 19.8% | 11.4% | 8.8% | 6.6% | 5.4% | $14,735 |
| Lee County | 41 | 38.1% | 20.7% | 11.5% | 8.7% | 8.3% | 5.8% | $15,593 |
| Saluda County | 42 | 26% | 20.8% | 10.7% | 4.5% | 4.6% | 3.5% | $11,397 |
| Bamberg County | 43 | 39.8% | 24.3% | 12.1% | 9.3% | 8% | 5.8% | $15,906 |
| Calhoun County | 44 | 26.9% | 24.7% | 10.6% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 3.2% | $13,341 |
| McCormick County | 45 | 41.9% | 39.1% | 18.2% | 12.1% | 4.2% | 2.8% | $19,290 |
| Allendale County | 46 | 42.3% | 22.8% | 11.6% | 11% | 9.6% | 6.8% | $17,191 |
