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Cliff-Zone Families
148,326
Total Wage Suppression
$108.0M
State Avg Cliff Zone
17.9%
The benefits cliff — sometimes called the welfare cliff or cliff effect — occurs when families lose public benefits faster than they can replace them through increased earnings. In South Carolina, an estimated 148,326 families across 46 counties earn between 100–200% of the Federal Poverty Level, where benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, and housing assistance phase out. The CLIFF Index measures this exposure at the county level, including peak marginal effective tax rates, wage suppression estimates, and advancement thresholds. Click any county below for the full diagnostic report.
| CountyCounty↕ | PopulationPopulation↕ | Cliff Zone %Cliff Zone %↕ | Families AffectedFamilies↓ | Wage SuppressionWage Gap↕ | Peak METRPeak METR↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County | 548,166 | 16.5% | 15,236 | $11.1M | 437% |
| Spartanburg County | 347,852 | 20.2% | 11,877 | $8.6M | 437% |
| Richland County | 422,117 | 17.8% | 11,861 | $8.6M | 437% |
| Horry County | 383,016 | 18.9% | 10,220 | $7.4M | 437% |
| Lexington County | 304,887 | 17.0% | 8,790 | $6.4M | 437% |
| Charleston County | 420,264 | 13.3% | 8,755 | $6.4M | 437% |
| York County | 293,673 | 13.7% | 7,163 | $5.2M | 437% |
| Berkeley County | 246,802 | 15.7% | 6,383 | $4.6M | 437% |
| Anderson County | 210,478 | 19.0% | 6,349 | $4.6M | 437% |
| Aiken County | 174,160 | 17.4% | 4,865 | $3.5M | 437% |
| Dorchester County | 167,201 | 16.3% | 4,735 | $3.4M | 437% |
| Florence County | 137,117 | 18.2% | 3,833 | $2.8M | 437% |
| Pickens County | 134,629 | 19.4% | 3,802 | $2.8M | 437% |
| Sumter County | 104,725 | 23.5% | 3,591 | $2.6M | 437% |
| Beaufort County | 195,289 | 12.6% | 3,568 | $2.6M | 437% |
| Orangeburg County | 83,253 | 22.5% | 2,539 | $1.8M | 437% |
| Lancaster County | 104,475 | 15.8% | 2,430 | $1.8M | 437% |
| Oconee County | 80,469 | 17.8% | 2,348 | $1.7M | 437% |
| Laurens County | 68,666 | 21.2% | 2,312 | $1.7M | 437% |
| Greenwood County | 69,489 | 24.5% | 2,278 | $1.7M | 437% |
| Darlington County | 62,558 | 23.7% | 2,095 | $1.5M | 437% |
| Kershaw County | 68,314 | 16.9% | 2,010 | $1.5M | 437% |
| Cherokee County | 56,647 | 23.0% | 1,961 | $1.4M | 437% |
| Colleton County | 38,783 | 26.5% | 1,613 | $1.2M | 437% |
| Georgetown County | 64,811 | 16.0% | 1,514 | $1.1M | 437% |
| Chesterfield County | 43,784 | 24.8% | 1,512 | $1.1M | 437% |
| Newberry County | 38,435 | 19.2% | 1,227 | $893K | 437% |
| Marion County | 28,664 | 30.2% | 1,127 | $820K | 437% |
| Chester County | 32,182 | 21.9% | 1,088 | $792K | 437% |
| Clarendon County | 30,986 | 26.8% | 1,047 | $762K | 437% |
| Dillon County | 27,862 | 23.6% | 955 | $695K | 437% |
| Union County | 26,885 | 23.6% | 955 | $695K | 437% |
| Fairfield County | 20,550 | 25.7% | 850 | $619K | 437% |
| Jasper County | 32,166 | 18.1% | 841 | $612K | 437% |
| Williamsburg County | 30,282 | 19.7% | 831 | $605K | 437% |
| Marlboro County | 25,975 | 27.3% | 735 | $535K | 437% |
| Saluda County | 19,131 | 20.8% | 718 | $523K | 437% |
| Hampton County | 18,254 | 26.6% | 712 | $518K | 437% |
| Abbeville County | 24,420 | 19.6% | 703 | $512K | 437% |
| Barnwell County | 20,521 | 19.9% | 610 | $444K | 437% |
| Edgefield County | 27,476 | 14.2% | 569 | $414K | 437% |
| Lee County | 16,166 | 24.8% | 484 | $352K | 437% |
| Calhoun County | 14,182 | 22.3% | 469 | $341K | 437% |
| Bamberg County | 13,042 | 21.6% | 302 | $220K | 437% |
| Allendale County | 7,661 | 25.8% | 277 | $202K | 437% |
| McCormick County | 9,760 | 15.4% | 186 | $135K | 437% |
46 of 46 counties shown. Click any county for full diagnostic.