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South Carolina

#21 of 50 states · 😐 Meh

#21of 50
South Carolina among U.S. states
C65
😐 Meh
🏆 Prop taxtop 12%
🚽 Inequalitybottom 34%
Rolled up from 64 ranked cities · 1,702,089 residents
Taxes
7.49% sales · US 7.00%up to 6.00% income · US 4.63%

City heat map

Every ranked city — bubble size = population, color = how it ranks within South Carolina. Tap a bubble for its card.

Best-ranked in South CarolinaWorst-ranked

Color is each city's rank within South Carolina — not its national score. Hover or open a bubble for that, or see every city on one scale on the national map.

The breakdown — worst first

Income inequality34

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).

Uninsured adults37

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Adults 18–64 without health insurance.

Natural disaster risk38

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more.

Homeownership41

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.

Broadband access42

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Poverty rate43

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.

Median household income45

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.

Housing cost45

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.

Unemployment rate47

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of the labor force out of work.

Adult obesity52

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).

Poor mental health53

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).

Rent53

Population-weighted average across 50 South Carolina cities

Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).

Physical inactivity55

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.

Commute time56

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.

Air quality (AQI)58

Population-weighted average across 35 South Carolina cities

Median air quality index — lower is cleaner air.

Adult smoking58

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of adults who currently smoke.

Bachelor's degree or higher65

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.

Population growth (5yr)68

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?

Unhealthy air days79

Population-weighted average across 35 South Carolina cities

Days per year with unhealthy air (AQI above 100).

Property-tax burden88

Population-weighted average across 64 South Carolina cities

Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.

See all South Carolina cities →

South Carolina's headline score is the population-weighted average of its cities' scores, placed on a curve relative to the other states — a bird's-eye, states-vs-states ranking. The breakdown bars above are the absolute, per-metric rollup across its cities of 5,000+ residents. The heat map colors each city by its rank within South Carolina(greenest = best here); the city lists below show each city's national score.