Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety0#15,564/15,637
Economy14#13,520/15,631
Housing36#9,541/14,977
Health3#15,178/15,609
Healthcare2#15,282/15,650
Environment62#5,858/15,453
Education16#13,175/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,323/15,650
Community36#10,086/15,651
Leisure & amenities6#14,705/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bishopville, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Students per teacher · low8.8×
100/100South Carolina 13.8×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsLee County value
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
91/100South Carolina 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100South Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.56%
83/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Social associations · high13.1 /10k
83/100South Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Comfortable days · high30.8%
82/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLee County value

Weaknesses

Firearm deaths · high68.9 /100k
0/100South Carolina 18.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLee County value
Homicide rate · high29.2 /100k
1/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataLee County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100South Carolina 5.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Reading scores · low2.41
1/100South Carolina 2.93United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Math scores · low2.30
1/100South Carolina 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.5 /10k
1/100South Carolina 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
3,103 (2015-2019) → 2,910 (2020-2024)
−6.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
53.3% (2015-2019) → 88.0% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
72.9% (2015-2019) → 45.0% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
26.1% (2015-2019) → 44.2% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
43.0% (2015-2019) → 27.5% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$24,524 (2015-2019) → $39,276 (2020-2024)
+60%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bishopville, South Carolina improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Broadband+35 points53.3% → 88.0%
Inequality−0.1260.557 → 0.431
Rent burden−28 points72.9% → 45.0%
Household income+60%$24,524 → $39,276

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Bishopville, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.1 min2015-2019	20.4 min2020-2024	−0.7 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.2%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Broadband subscriptions	53.3%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+35 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	26.1%2015-2019	44.2%2020-2024	+18 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Effective property tax rate	0.56%2015-2019	0.56%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	17%
High school diploma or higher	80.7%2015-2019	79.9%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	−1.5×	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5572015-2019	0.4312020-2024	−0.126	Improved	98%
Median household income	$24,5242015-2019	$39,2762020-2024	+60%	Improved	91%
Poverty rate	29.8%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	43.0%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Rent-burdened households	72.9%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	−28 points	Improved	97%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.7%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	14%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bishopville, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bishopville, South Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bishopville, South Carolina itself moved +22.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,910 residents (±55)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−6.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,910 residents (±55)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White21%†612
Black74%2,159
Hispanic or Latino2.5%†74

Education

1,964 residents (±187)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma20%†394
High school or GED38%738
Some college19%†378

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,179 households (±138)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k35%†410
$25k–50k29%†339
$50k–75k19%†220
$75k–100k11%†129
$100k–150k5.4%†64
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more1.4%†17

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,179 households (±138)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own44%519
Rent56%660

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

611 households (±133)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75060%†368
$750–1,00014%†83
$1,000–1,50014%†

Home values

519 homes (±135)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k59%†304
$150k–250k34%†177
$250k–400k6.6%†

Age of homes

1,425 homes (±196)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later1.5%†22
2000–20097.2%†102
1980–199941%588

Size of homes

1,425 homes (±196)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom18%†255
2 bedrooms26%†370

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,002 workers (±157)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone78%783
Carpool14%†145
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.1%†21
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.6%†46
Other0.7%†7

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−12.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

956 workers (±153)

Bishopville, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min46%437
15–29 min22%†208
30–44 min20%†187

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lee County, the county holding most of Bishopville's residents.

Lee County has 212 employer establishments, 133 for every 10,000 residents (0.54× the US rate of 248; 0.58× South Carolina's), with 2,246 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,265. The Census Bureau also counts 1,013 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 212; 1,013 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 133; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 2,246
Average annual pay: $37,265; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Religious organizations	18	11.3	2.04×More than typical	35	$21,000	—
Restaurants and other eating places	15	9.4	0.51×Fewer than typical	209	$15,019	3
Grocery and convenience stores	12	7.5	2.54×More than typical	131	$19,466	—
Limited-service restaurants	11	6.9	0.86×About typical	183	$14,077	—
Specialty trade contractors	10	6.3	0.41×Fewer than typical	57	$41,649	57
Truck transportation	9	5.7	1.12×Too few to compare	40	$43,725	59
Building equipment contractors	8	5	0.83×Too few to compare	55	$42,382	13
Gasoline stations	8	5	1.55×Too few to compare	126	$22,595	—
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	8	5	1.52×Too few to compare	55	$42,382	8
Ambulatory health care services	7	4.4	0.21×Too few to compare	134	$38,701	36
Banks and credit unions	5	3.1	0.97×Too few to compare	29	$39,345	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	2.5	0.50×Too few to compare	5	$28,200	32

Rank places for an industry Open Lee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 15,925 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bishopville, South Carolina: $0 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $2,007
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

77FY2017
0FY2019
9.4KFY2020
10.2KFY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bishopville, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Bishopville, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Lee County, SC ($57.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bishopville is mostly in Lee County.

See federal money in Lee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bishopville, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ralph NormanR-SC-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 11.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lee County5100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4506310