The 10 Best Small Towns In South Carolina For 2024


The best small towns in South Carolina are Sullivan’s Island and India Hook for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: January 12, 2024

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in South Carolina. Best sururbs in South Carolina. Best counties in South Carolina.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Palmetto State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in South Carolina based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in South Carolina ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In South Carolina For 2024

  1. Sullivan’s Island
  2. India Hook
  3. Isle of Palms
  4. Northlake
  5. Seabrook Island
  6. Surfside Beach
  7. Springdale
  8. Elgin
  9. Newport
  10. Folly Beach
  11. Pendleton
  12. Reidville
  13. Riverview
  14. Kiawah Island
  15. Stateburg

Best Small Towns To Live In South Carolina Map

What’s the best small town in South Carolina? Sullivan’s Island is the best small town in South Carolina based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Sullivan’s Island, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Palmetto State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In South Carolina For 2024

1. Sullivan’s Island

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,317
Median Income: $171,838 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $2,655,551 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%

2. India Hook

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 4,385
Median Income: $101,616 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $359,295 (17th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

3. Isle Of Palms

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 4,347
Median Income: $160,417 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $1,521,447 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%

4. Northlake

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,989
Median Income: $93,271 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $308,707 (24th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%

5. Seabrook Island

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,062
Median Income: $117,386 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $913,124 (5th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%

6. Surfside Beach

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,179
Median Income: $69,375 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $380,887 (12th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

7. Springdale

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,711
Median Income: $70,880 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $235,097 (42nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%

8. Elgin

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,065
Median Income: $83,611 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $286,659 (28th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%

9. Newport

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 4,226
Median Income: $92,083 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $372,308 (15th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.4%

10. Folly Beach

Folly Beach, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Bms4880 at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,020
Median Income: $88,424 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,306,391 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

11. Pendleton

Pendleton, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Pndltonres | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,498
Median Income: $63,750 (30th Best)
Median Home Value: $264,124 (34th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%

12. Reidville

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,734
Median Income: $115,972 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $341,522 (21st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%

13. Riverview

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,010
Median Income: $125,897 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $596,038 (8th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 16.3%

14. Kiawah Island

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,130
Median Income: $214,250 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $1,831,071 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%

15. Stateburg

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,739
Median Income: $68,935 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $277,770 (31st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In South Carolina

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in South Carolina possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 141 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 141, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in South Carolina. Top of that list — Sullivan’s Island.

This is our tenth time ranking the best small places to live in South Carolina.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in South Carolina are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in South Carolina are Sullivan’s Island, India Hook, Isle of Palms, Northlake, Seabrook Island, Surfside Beach, Springdale, Elgin, Newport, and Folly Beach.

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in South Carolina:

  1. Estill
  2. Ware Shoals
  3. Watts Mills

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In South Carolina

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Sullivan’s Island, SC 2,317 $171,838 1.6%
2 India Hook, SC 4,385 $101,616 5.3%
3 Isle Of Palms, SC 4,347 $160,417 0.7%
4 Northlake, SC 3,989 $93,271 5.6%
5 Seabrook Island, SC 2,062 $117,386 0.7%
6 Surfside Beach, SC 4,179 $69,375 8.3%
7 Springdale, SC 2,711 $70,880 4.0%
8 Elgin, SC 2,065 $83,611 6.4%
9 Newport, SC 4,226 $92,083 0.4%
10 Folly Beach, SC 1,020 $88,424 0.0%
11 Pendleton, SC 3,498 $63,750 2.9%
12 Reidville, SC 1,734 $115,972 4.5%
13 Riverview, SC 2,010 $125,897 16.3%
14 Kiawah Island, SC 2,130 $214,250 3.8%
15 Stateburg, SC 1,739 $68,935 4.8%
16 Roebuck, SC 3,837 $58,738 1.9%
17 Elgin, SC 2,882 $72,898 2.4%
18 Meggett, SC 1,348 $91,472 0.9%
19 Pine Ridge, SC 2,687 $74,565 6.9%
20 Chapin, SC 1,543 $77,917 9.3%
21 Prosperity, SC 1,139 $56,622 2.7%
22 Six Mile, SC 1,086 $103,750 6.3%
23 Inman, SC 2,987 $50,938 3.9%
24 Shell Point, SC 2,026 $60,676 8.8%
25 Due West, SC 1,148 $50,417 19.6%
26 Woodruff, SC 4,262 $68,451 6.3%
27 Bonneau Beach, SC 1,500 $56,635 0.0%
28 Landrum, SC 2,504 $41,414 4.2%
29 Duncan, SC 4,053 $58,112 3.1%
30 Blythewood, SC 4,890 $100,595 3.9%
31 Dunean, SC 3,427 $52,500 8.6%
32 Ninety Six, SC 2,579 $55,694 7.2%
33 North Hartsville, SC 3,261 $71,000 0.9%
34 Kershaw, SC 2,311 $55,481 2.8%
35 Golden Grove, SC 3,282 $67,147 0.9%
36 Ravenel, SC 2,572 $70,956 1.7%
37 Williamston, SC 4,072 $62,425 9.1%
38 Lesslie, SC 3,114 $77,500 5.8%
39 New Ellenton, SC 2,508 $56,304 4.2%
40 Cane Savannah, SC 1,534 $67,619 10.9%
41 Springdale, SC 2,580 $60,404 4.6%
42 Wellford, SC 3,330 $53,221 2.4%
43 Johnsonville, SC 1,108 $46,528 3.3%
44 Lamar, SC 1,217 $40,489 1.8%
45 Bishopville, SC 2,986 $40,909 4.0%
46 Arial, SC 1,750 $54,453 1.3%
47 South Congaree, SC 2,256 $55,636 2.6%
48 Pickens, SC 3,374 $43,452 1.5%
49 Mayo, SC 1,925 $48,750 3.3%
50 Lake Secession, SC 1,246 $45,759 6.9%
51 Belton, SC 4,357 $46,713 5.0%
52 West Pelzer, SC 1,155 $43,214 3.1%
53 Awendaw, SC 1,548 $63,533 12.6%
54 Ridgeville, SC 1,548 $52,864 8.1%
55 Santee, SC 1,189 $43,000 1.0%
56 Murphys Estates, SC 1,477 $73,750 3.7%
57 Joanna, SC 1,406 $52,381 0.0%
58 Cowpens, SC 1,862 $36,585 2.9%
59 Westminster, SC 2,215 $40,750 8.9%
60 Hampton, SC 2,725 $50,875 12.0%
61 Honea Path, SC 3,662 $50,375 7.3%
62 Pelion, SC 1,056 $54,966 2.0%
63 Cottageville, SC 1,144 $63,977 2.8%
64 Pacolet, SC 1,970 $44,894 7.0%
65 Ridgeland, SC 3,737 $55,729 2.0%
66 Clearwater, SC 3,403 $52,991 13.2%
67 Dalzell, SC 3,417 $62,159 9.3%
68 Burne, SC 3,052 $32,279 6.3%
69 St. George, SC 1,901 $28,490 0.8%
70 Jackson, SC 1,882 $36,632 3.6%
71 Manning, SC 3,862 $27,138 9.0%
72 South Sumter, SC 1,564 $40,039 7.9%
73 Mcbee, SC 1,046 $56,964 5.2%
74 Fort Lawn, SC 1,149 $49,844 9.0%
75 Abbeville, SC 4,892 $41,025 4.7%
76 Chesterfield, SC 1,424 $52,232 9.3%
77 Kingstree, SC 3,202 $31,227 5.9%
78 Edgefield, SC 2,504 $32,200 16.9%
79 Wagener, SC 1,030 $43,846 9.4%
80 St. Matthews, SC 1,932 $35,950 17.3%
81 Mccormick, SC 2,760 $37,568 3.6%
82 Liberty, SC 3,329 $41,898 10.2%
83 Lakewood, SC 3,135 $47,290 8.6%
84 Hopkins, SC 1,738 $57,262 11.9%
85 Latta, SC 1,519 $44,330 13.2%
86 Slater-Marietta, SC 2,199 $46,797 5.5%
87 Graniteville, SC 2,465 $32,339 6.9%
88 East Gaffney, SC 2,972 $30,758 3.6%
89 Mccoll, SC 2,304 $35,987 7.1%
90 Eureka Mill, SC 1,889 $33,802 9.6%
91 Pelzer, SC 1,480 $51,193 12.4%
92 Gayle Mill, SC 1,082 $74,022 1.1%
93 Saluda, SC 3,124 $32,986 4.6%
94 Williston, SC 2,877 $37,398 3.7%
95 Gloverville, SC 3,099 $46,643 8.2%
96 Varnville, SC 2,173 $38,092 14.8%
97 Winnsboro, SC 3,239 $31,194 10.6%
98 Brookdale, SC 4,069 $33,406 12.8%
99 Loris, SC 2,513 $34,564 8.4%
100 Andrews, SC 3,617 $42,337 0.6%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Small Towns, Rankings