Best places to live in South Carolina
3 South Carolina metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in South Carolina
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 3 tracked South Carolina metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 62.2%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 8%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 23%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 2.1%
- Other or two or more
- 4.7%
Diversity index 68/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville | 50.6 | #51 of 103 | $312k | 28 | 33 | 33° / 89° | 60 |
| 2 | Charleston | 48.1 | #60 of 103 | $437k | 38 | 33 | 39° / 91° | 69 |
| 3 | Columbia | 46.1 | #75 of 103 | $253k | 15 | 33 | 35° / 92° | 75 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.