John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
In total, residents in Chester County received $446.6 million in government transfers, which accounted for 33.8% of total county income.
Comparatively, across all counties in South Carolina, government transfer payments totaled $63.5 billion, making up 22.4% of the state 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).
Breaking down the contributions in Chester County at the time, Social Security transfers totaled $153.7 million, amounting to $4,815 per capita, or 34.4% of total government transfers. Medicare transfers accounted for $117.2 million ($3,670 per capita), representing 26.2% of the total. Medicaid contributed $67.2 million ($2,103 per capita), making up 15% of total transfers. Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $63.1 million ($1,975 per capita), or 14.1% of the total.
With 19.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Chester County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Total per capita income excluding government transfers in Chester County was $27,424, far below the county’s total income of $41,411, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Chester County saw a decrease of 15.8% in per capita government transfers, from $16,531 to $13,987 per capita.
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 8.21% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.63% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022. In Chester County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.57% (or $1,495 per capita) in 1970 to 33.8% (or $13,987 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Per Capita Transfers ($) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers ($) | Medicare Transfers ($) | Medicaid Transfers ($) | Income Maintenance Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCormick County | 1 | $19,290 | 41.85% | 39.12% | $82,019,000 | $54,266,000 | $19,099,000 | $12,445,000 |
| Allendale County | 2 | $17,191 | 42.31% | 22.8% | $35,678,000 | $33,982,000 | $29,658,000 | $21,004,000 |
| Clarendon County | 3 | $16,889 | 37.28% | 25% | $168,211,000 | $142,326,000 | $84,981,000 | $64,988,000 |
| Georgetown County | 4 | $16,295 | 28.5% | 30.83% | $453,332,000 | $295,187,000 | $106,884,000 | $90,738,000 |
| Marion County | 5 | $16,221 | 39.46% | 21.65% | $138,703,000 | $113,045,000 | $89,404,000 | $74,808,000 |
| Fairfield County | 6 | $16,217 | 32.39% | 24.24% | $110,910,000 | $79,708,000 | $60,219,000 | $41,824,000 |
| Bamberg County | 7 | $15,906 | 39.77% | 24.25% | $62,657,000 | $47,797,000 | $41,211,000 | $29,882,000 |
| Colleton County | 8 | $15,655 | 37.25% | 20.56% | $184,674,000 | $177,925,000 | $94,548,000 | $78,273,000 |
| Lee County | 9 | $15,593 | 38% | 20.72% | $76,330,000 | $57,571,000 | $55,111,000 | $38,081,000 |
| Dillon County | 10 | $15,532 | 39.71% | 17.8% | $117,589,000 | $108,955,000 | $86,924,000 | $77,545,000 |
| Laurens County | 11 | $15,193 | 35.56% | 18.98% | $323,612,000 | $309,629,000 | $191,096,000 | $114,910,000 |
| Orangeburg County | 12 | $15,043 | 36.61% | 21% | $383,690,000 | $314,937,000 | $220,848,000 | $181,180,000 |
| Union County | 13 | $14,885 | 39% | 21.64% | $142,961,000 | $108,837,000 | $61,135,000 | $49,753,000 |
| Williamsburg County | 14 | $14,765 | 38.41% | 22.74% | $143,739,000 | $85,588,000 | $90,974,000 | $73,168,000 |
| Hampton County | 15 | $14,735 | 36.49% | 19.82% | $83,329,000 | $64,433,000 | $48,430,000 | $39,664,000 |
| Barnwell County | 16 | $14,685 | 37.47% | 19.52% | $87,228,000 | $76,238,000 | $59,646,000 | $48,631,000 |
| Horry County | 17 | $14,637 | 31.15% | 26.28% | $2,387,577,000 | $1,644,359,000 | $392,972,000 | $418,398,000 |
| Darlington County | 18 | $14,583 | 30.57% | 19.74% | $306,459,000 | $221,309,000 | $154,828,000 | $131,994,000 |
| Marlboro County | 19 | $14,387 | 38% | 19.41% | $114,034,000 | $97,743,000 | $67,089,000 | $59,969,000 |
| Chester County | 20 | $13,987 | 33.78% | 19.59% | $153,736,000 | $117,190,000 | $67,156,000 | $63,069,000 |
| Sumter County | 21 | $13,982 | 30% | 17.74% | $416,531,000 | $314,920,000 | $214,065,000 | $208,228,000 |
| Oconee County | 22 | $13,905 | 25.55% | 24.78% | $466,647,000 | $314,892,000 | $116,102,000 | $93,627,000 |
| Kershaw County | 23 | $13,853 | 26.25% | 19% | $309,432,000 | $229,503,000 | $103,518,000 | $95,981,000 |
| Florence County | 24 | $13,791 | 26.5% | 17.93% | $572,363,000 | $472,130,000 | $361,116,000 | $259,655,000 |
| Beaufort County | 25 | $13,685 | 18.97% | 28.48% | $1,230,449,000 | $781,033,000 | $151,823,000 | $165,665,000 |
| Newberry County | 26 | $13,661 | 28.78% | 20.69% | $189,105,000 | $141,433,000 | $72,867,000 | $59,552,000 |
| Abbeville County | 27 | $13,588 | 34.11% | 22.99% | $124,104,000 | $81,300,000 | $45,345,000 | $36,958,000 |
| Edgefield County | 28 | $13,486 | 27.45% | 20.25% | $120,747,000 | $116,162,000 | $36,101,000 | $37,942,000 |
| Greenwood County | 29 | $13,421 | 30.66% | 19.46% | $327,289,000 | $237,787,000 | $125,777,000 | $114,300,000 |
| Calhoun County | 30 | $13,341 | 26.87% | 24.66% | $74,381,000 | $40,276,000 | $31,148,000 | $22,273,000 |
| Chesterfield County | 31 | $13,083 | 33.54% | 19.46% | $193,598,000 | $138,550,000 | $96,747,000 | $81,402,000 |
| Aiken County | 32 | $12,534 | 24.29% | 20.86% | $858,113,000 | $532,184,000 | $265,726,000 | $241,017,000 |
| Cherokee County | 33 | $12,442 | 32.12% | 17.5% | $251,590,000 | $180,048,000 | $97,255,000 | $95,735,000 |
| Lancaster County | 34 | $12,236 | 22.22% | 21.64% | $527,132,000 | $374,808,000 | $115,331,000 | $116,034,000 |
| Jasper County | 35 | $12,162 | 29.56% | 23.37% | $173,432,000 | $78,666,000 | $41,950,000 | $48,517,000 |
| Anderson County | 36 | $12,034 | 25.23% | 18.35% | $946,057,000 | $681,878,000 | $301,108,000 | $280,165,000 |
| Dorchester County | 37 | $11,830 | 24.76% | 15.17% | $585,938,000 | $639,028,000 | $203,843,000 | $191,673,000 |
| Saluda County | 38 | $11,397 | 25.97% | 20.84% | $88,919,000 | $37,044,000 | $38,469,000 | $28,847,000 |
| Pickens County | 39 | $11,183 | 24.4% | 17.31% | $553,346,000 | $434,699,000 | $165,306,000 | $137,663,000 |
| Richland County | 40 | $11,015 | 20.41% | 14% | $1,427,231,000 | $917,759,000 | $653,385,000 | $575,931,000 |
| Lexington County | 41 | $10,916 | 19.13% | 17% | $1,237,286,000 | $848,472,000 | $357,736,000 | $347,493,000 |
| Spartanburg County | 42 | $10,810 | 20.54% | 16.24% | $1,373,940,000 | $951,921,000 | $473,787,000 | $467,347,000 |
| Greenville County | 43 | $10,268 | 18.12% | 16.71% | $2,177,171,000 | $1,444,673,000 | $676,466,000 | $589,089,000 |
| Charleston County | 44 | $10,152 | 13.26% | 17.94% | $1,594,503,000 | $1,098,057,000 | $540,279,000 | $399,071,000 |
| York County | 45 | $9,432 | 15.99% | 15.39% | $1,095,510,000 | $705,444,000 | $287,384,000 | $285,155,000 |
| Berkeley County | 46 | $9,080 | 17.91% | 14.97% | $813,339,000 | $447,869,000 | $219,606,000 | $268,081,000 |
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