Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 80 largest places in South Carolina, Port Royal has the lowest unemployment rate (1.0%), followed by James Island and Litchfield Beach. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in South Carolina that we cover, the median is 4.9% and the average 5.2%; the figure runs from 1.0% (Port Royal) to 12.5% (Bennettsville). That is a spread of 13.0 times between the two ends. The state figure is 4.9%; 39 of the 80 places are above it and 41 at or below.
The first five are Port Royal, James Island, Litchfield Beach, Powdersville, Laurens. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: unemployment from the ACS is a survey estimate with a margin of error, and small places can swing widely. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Unemployment (ACS) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Royal | Beaufort County | 1.0% | 15,579 | $74,870 | $1,726 |
| 2 | James Island | Charleston County | 1.1% | 12,198 | $104,217 | $1,695 |
| 3 | Litchfield Beach (unincorporated) | Georgetown County | 1.6% | 9,044 | $76,351 | $1,704 |
| 4 | Powdersville (unincorporated) | Anderson County | 1.8% | 10,771 | $84,910 | $1,232 |
| 5 | Laurens | Laurens County | 1.9% | 9,336 | $49,246 | $833 |
| 6 | Lugoff (unincorporated) | Kershaw County | 1.9% | 9,786 | $69,485 | $915 |
| 7 | Sangaree (unincorporated) | Berkeley County | 2.0% | 8,681 | $77,673 | $1,419 |
| 8 | Murrells Inlet (unincorporated) | Georgetown County | 2.0% | 10,044 | $77,438 | $1,751 |
| 9 | Oak Grove (unincorporated) | Lexington County | 2.0% | 12,256 | $74,554 | $1,045 |
| 10 | Tega Cay | York County | 2.2% | 13,615 | $142,000 | $1,408 |
| 11 | York | York County | 2.2% | 8,969 | $56,176 | $896 |
| 12 | Bluffton | Beaufort County | 2.2% | 33,157 | $111,281 | $2,256 |
| 13 | Fort Mill | York County | 2.3% | 30,775 | $121,823 | $1,503 |
| 14 | Greer | Greenville County | 2.4% | 41,536 | $82,626 | $1,198 |
| 15 | Hanahan | Berkeley County | 2.5% | 21,452 | $87,984 | $1,412 |
| 16 | Goose Creek | Berkeley County | 2.7% | 48,078 | $88,178 | $1,690 |
| 17 | Five Forks (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 3.0% | 18,656 | $141,786 | $2,178 |
| 18 | Hilton Head Island | Beaufort County | 3.0% | 37,911 | $94,657 | $1,479 |
| 19 | Easley | Pickens County | 3.2% | 24,841 | $66,299 | $947 |
| 20 | White Knoll (unincorporated) | Lexington County | 3.2% | 8,310 | $80,246 | $1,180 |
| 21 | Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | 3.3% | 93,993 | $124,755 | $2,159 |
| 22 | Charleston | Charleston County | 3.4% | 154,338 | $92,414 | $1,722 |
| 23 | Socastee (unincorporated) | Horry County | 3.5% | 23,796 | $62,257 | $1,246 |
| 24 | Boiling Springs (unincorporated) | Spartanburg County | 3.5% | 12,936 | $72,068 | $1,266 |
| 25 | Moncks Corner | Berkeley County | 3.6% | 15,485 | $91,500 | $1,307 |
| 26 | Beaufort | Beaufort County | 3.6% | 13,747 | $61,220 | $1,212 |
| 27 | North Augusta | Aiken County | 3.8% | 25,653 | $86,092 | $1,169 |
| 28 | Sans Souci (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 3.9% | 7,665 | $45,069 | $999 |
| 29 | Wade Hampton (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 4.0% | 20,898 | $77,449 | $1,115 |
| 30 | Taylors (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 4.0% | 24,505 | $77,144 | $1,337 |
| 31 | North Myrtle Beach | Horry County | 4.0% | 19,855 | $72,722 | $1,263 |
| 32 | Forest Acres | Richland County | 4.1% | 10,530 | $78,306 | $1,263 |
| 33 | Simpsonville | Greenville County | 4.1% | 26,144 | $82,457 | $1,415 |
| 34 | Little River (unincorporated) | Horry County | 4.2% | 11,771 | $65,786 | $1,528 |
| 35 | North Charleston | Charleston County | 4.3% | 119,913 | $62,956 | $1,430 |
| 36 | Greenville | Greenville County | 4.4% | 72,935 | $71,472 | $1,312 |
| 37 | Clemson | Pickens County | 4.5% | 18,072 | $49,520 | $1,007 |
| 38 | Fountain Inn | Greenville County | 4.7% | 12,020 | $73,585 | $1,184 |
| 39 | West Columbia | Lexington County | 4.8% | 17,963 | $56,912 | $1,201 |
| 40 | Summerville | Dorchester County | 4.9% | 51,654 | $81,046 | $1,526 |
| 41 | Clinton | Laurens County | 4.9% | 7,676 | $44,522 | $899 |
| 42 | Mauldin | Greenville County | 4.9% | 27,055 | $82,331 | $1,490 |
| 43 | Dentsville (unincorporated) | Richland County | 5.0% | 15,209 | $45,473 | $1,250 |
| 44 | Garden City (unincorporated) | Horry County | 5.1% | 11,591 | $47,249 | $1,472 |
| 45 | Lexington | Lexington County | 5.2% | 24,585 | $87,126 | $1,545 |
| 46 | Cayce | Lexington County | 5.3% | 13,741 | $62,045 | $1,360 |
| 47 | Ladson (unincorporated) | Berkeley County | 5.3% | 16,140 | $78,760 | $1,785 |
| 48 | Aiken | Aiken County | 5.4% | 32,521 | $76,746 | $1,180 |
| 49 | Myrtle Beach | Horry County | 5.4% | 38,371 | $60,394 | $1,261 |
| 50 | Florence | Florence County | 5.4% | 40,408 | $56,143 | $992 |
| 51 | Valley Falls (unincorporated) | Spartanburg County | 5.5% | 8,239 | $55,661 | $1,021 |
| 52 | Red Bank (unincorporated) | Lexington County | 5.7% | 11,314 | $68,004 | $1,160 |
| 53 | Rock Hill | York County | 5.8% | 75,259 | $68,771 | $1,341 |
| 54 | Red Hill (unincorporated) | Horry County | 5.8% | 15,920 | $68,250 | $1,179 |
| 55 | Lake Wylie (unincorporated) | York County | 6.0% | 16,006 | $112,097 | $1,710 |
| 56 | Seven Oaks (unincorporated) | Lexington County | 6.2% | 15,921 | $62,955 | $1,246 |
| 57 | Travelers Rest | Greenville County | 6.2% | 8,370 | $54,583 | $1,033 |
| 58 | Carolina Forest (unincorporated) | Horry County | 6.5% | 26,263 | $74,436 | $1,668 |
| 59 | Sumter | Sumter County | 6.6% | 43,053 | $55,592 | $1,076 |
| 60 | Berea (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 6.7% | 16,862 | $49,829 | $1,076 |
| 61 | Anderson | Anderson County | 6.8% | 30,051 | $46,933 | $975 |
| 62 | Newberry | Newberry County | 7.0% | 10,790 | $51,260 | $831 |
| 63 | Parker (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 7.0% | 12,898 | $40,043 | $1,099 |
| 64 | St. Andrews (unincorporated) | Richland County | 7.2% | 19,868 | $46,511 | $1,088 |
| 65 | Hardeeville | Jasper County | 7.3% | 10,871 | $78,365 | $1,406 |
| 66 | Spartanburg | Spartanburg County | 7.5% | 38,910 | $51,964 | $1,099 |
| 67 | Columbia | Richland County | 7.5% | 139,643 | $55,529 | $1,204 |
| 68 | Woodfield (unincorporated) | Richland County | 8.0% | 9,465 | $45,526 | $1,169 |
| 69 | Gantt (unincorporated) | Greenville County | 8.2% | 15,401 | $47,316 | $1,062 |
| 70 | Camden | Kershaw County | 8.2% | 8,267 | $63,576 | $956 |
| 71 | Conway | Horry County | 8.3% | 27,263 | $56,650 | $866 |
| 72 | Irmo | Richland County | 8.4% | 11,813 | $80,489 | $1,477 |
| 73 | Greenwood | Greenwood County | 8.7% | 22,536 | $41,150 | $839 |
| 74 | Seneca | Oconee County | 8.9% | 8,993 | $52,022 | $807 |
| 75 | Georgetown | Georgetown County | 9.4% | 8,565 | $56,981 | $780 |
| 76 | Lancaster | Lancaster County | 9.6% | 8,921 | $46,311 | $868 |
| 77 | Gaffney | Cherokee County | 10.6% | 12,596 | $41,089 | $887 |
| 78 | Union | Union County | 11.3% | 8,079 | $31,914 | $832 |
| 79 | Orangeburg | Orangeburg County | 11.8% | 13,253 | $38,635 | $848 |
| 80 | Bennettsville | Marlboro County | 12.5% | 7,751 | $37,115 | $671 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Port Royal, with 1.0% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in South Carolina by population.