This article, the twenty-third in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in South Carolina based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, “places” are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 1,000.
Among the twenty best places to live in South Carolina, nine comprise Charleston and its suburbs, five are suburbs of Columbia, two are suburbs of Charlotte, NC, two are suburbs of Savannah, GA, one is a suburb of Greenville, and one is a suburb of Augusta, GA. By county, eight of the best places to live in South Carolina are located in Charleston County, three in or partially in Lexington County, two in Beaufort County, two in York County, two in or partially in Richland County, and one each in Aiken, Berkeley, Dorchester, and Greenville counties.
After reading “Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012),” return to this link to read “Largest Cities in South Carolina_(2012).” A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
For the culmination of the 50-state series, read “Best Places to Live in America (2012).”
This article may be updated as new data becomes available.
1. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Kiawah Island, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 1,446
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $161,173
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 80.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.23*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 28 miles NE
Columbia, SC: 140 miles NW
2. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Seabrook Island, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 1,674
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $102,544
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 68.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.23*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 25 miles NE
Columbia, SC: 138 miles NW
3. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Mount Pleasant, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 65,434
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $79,193
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.83
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 7 miles WSW
Columbia, SC: 118 miles NW
4. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Sullivan’s Island, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 1,966
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $87,880
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 72.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.89
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 10 miles WNW
Columbia, SC: 122 miles NW
5. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Tega Cay, SC (York County)
Population: 4,850
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $109,948
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 55.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.29
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charlotte, NC: 19 miles NE
Columbia, SC: 83 miles S
6. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Isle of Palms. SC (Charleston County)
Population: 4,695
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $99,471
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 11.3
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 16 miles W
Columbia, SC: 125 miles NW
7. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Hilton Head, SC (Beaufort County)
Population: 34,216
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $70,011
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.53*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Savannah, GA: 34 miles SW
Columbia, SC: 152 miles N
8. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Meggett, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 1,096
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $68,553
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.23*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 22 miles ENE
Columbia, SC: 126 miles NW
9. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Lexington, SC (Lexington County)
Population: 14,970
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $65,187
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 39.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.15
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Columbia, SC: 12 miles E
10. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Mauldin, SC (Greenville County)
Population: 21,541
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $65,995
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.78
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Greenville, SC: 7 miles NW
Columbia, SC: 94 miles SE
11. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Irmo, SC (Lexington and Richland Counties)
Population: 11,616
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $69,042
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 35.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.39.
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Columbia, SC: 12 miles SE
12. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Fort Mill, SC (York County)
Population: 4,183
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $66,720
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 30.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.85
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charlotte, NC: 18 miles SSW
Columbia, SC: 78 miles S
13. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Summerville, SC (Dorchester County)
Population: 44,836
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $59,135
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 28.3.%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.73
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 25 miles SE
Columbia, SC: 95 miles NW
14. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Pine Ridge, SC (Lexington County)
Population: 1,968
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $64,213
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 20.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.99
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Columbia, SC: 9 miles NNE
15. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Forest Acres, SC (Richland County)
Population: 9,907
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $63,811
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 15.01
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Columbia, SC: 3 miles WSW
16. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Goose Creek, SC (Berkeley County)
Population: 37,715
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $64,083
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 23.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.44
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 17 miles SSE
Columbia, SC: 101 miles NW
17. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Folly Beach, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 1,731
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $57,692
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 55.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 20.86
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charleston, SC: 12 miles N
Columbia, SC: 125 miles NW
18. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Bluffton, SC (Beaufort County)
Population: 9,623
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $59,135
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.53
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Savannah, GA: 24 miles SW
Columbia, SC: 144 miles NNW
19. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Charleston, SC (Charleston County)
Population: 115,459
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $50,201
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 7.38
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Columbia, SC: 115 miles NW
Savannah, GA: 108 miles SW
20. Best Places to Live in South Carolina (2012) – Aiken, SC (Aiken County)
Population: 29,262
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $57,255
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 8.82
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Augusta, GA: 20 miles WSW
Columbia, SC: 54 miles NE
*In some cases, municipalities either do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from county or contiguous municipality data.
Source(s):
“All Cities in South Carolina,” City-Data.com
” American Community Survey ,” U.S. Census Bureau
” American Fact Finder ,” U.S. Census Bureau
Uniform Crime Report,” Federal Bureau of Investigation
