Town · Richland County, South Carolina

Irmo, South Carolina

Irmo is a town in Richland County, South Carolina, part of the Columbia, SC metro area. It has 11,813 residents. Irmo, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 55 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,000 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #42 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on new business applications (high), effective property tax rate (low) and days with unhealthy air (low). It ranks worst on homicide rate (high), violent crime rate (high) and property crime rate (high).

55Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,000 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #42 of 268 in SC
Population: 11,813 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,729.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 4535890

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety4#14,969/15,637
Economy53#7,418/15,631
Housing70#4,526/14,977
Health61#6,144/15,609
Healthcare67#5,239/15,650
Environment61#5,963/15,453
Education55#7,053/15,649
Infrastructure70#4,702/15,650
Community36#10,079/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,728/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Irmo, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Richland 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

New business applications · high19.9 /1k
89/100South Carolina 16.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauRichland County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.51%
87/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRichland County value
Loneliness · low32.2%
84/100South Carolina 32.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Dentists · high93 /100k
84/100South Carolina 60 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value
Preventable hospital stays · low2,073 /100k
83/100South Carolina 2,612 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high12.7 /100k
4/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRichland County value
Violent crime rate · high556 /100k
7/100South Carolina 388 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRichland County value
Property crime rate · high2,274 /100k
9/100South Carolina 1,676 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRichland County value
Food environment index · low6.9
13/100South Carolina 6.5United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRichland County value
Unemployment rate · high8.4%
15/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Voter turnout · low57.6%
16/100South Carolina 64.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionRichland County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.8% (2015-2019) → 40.3% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.9× (2015-2019) → 2.5× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.1% (2015-2019) → 28.6% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$66,313 (2015-2019) → $80,489 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
89.2% (2015-2019) → 92.4% (2020-2024)
+3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
93.5% (2015-2019) → 95.8% (2020-2024)
+2.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Irmo, South Carolina improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 13 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+0.6×1.9× → 2.5×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Irmo, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.8 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	−2.1 min	Within the margin of error	72%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.3%2015-2019	39.2%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Broadband subscriptions	89.2%2015-2019	92.4%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Child poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Effective property tax rate	0.70%2015-2019	0.51%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	93.5%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3822015-2019	0.3972020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$66,3132015-2019	$80,4892020-2024	+21%	Within the margin of error	36%
Poverty rate	9.1%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent as share of income	33.1%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent-burdened households	56.8%2015-2019	40.3%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Unemployment rate	8.1%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.9%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%

“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 Irmo, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Irmo, 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, Irmo, South Carolina itself moved +6.7 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

11,813 residents (±49)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

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

Household income

4,632 households (±288)

Irmo, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k9.2%†427
$25k–50k17%†798
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

4,632 households (±288)

Irmo, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own82%3,780
Rent18%852

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

5,837 workers (±385)

Irmo, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone75%4,351
Carpool7.7%†448
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Columbia, SC

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 Richland County, the county holding most of Irmo's residents.

Richland County has 9,426 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.97× South Carolina's), with 169,733 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,671. The Census Bureau also counts 36,669 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,426; 36,669 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 169,733
Average annual pay: $52,671; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	752	17.7	0.85×About typical	11,483	$81,955	1,784
Restaurants and other eating places	746	17.6	0.96×About typical	17,143	$19,575	189
Lessors of real estate	512	12.1	0.98×About typical	2,285	$67,258	3,761
Legal services	421	9.9	1.84×More than typical	3,560	$93,743	363
Specialty trade contractors	362	8.5	0.55×Fewer than typical	4,526	$62,820	1,526
Limited-service restaurants	353	8.3	1.04×About typical	8,007	$17,707	75
Religious organizations	322	7.6	1.37×More than typical	3,177	$26,922	—
Full-service restaurants	320	7.5	0.98×About typical	8,018	$21,908	74
Services to buildings and dwellings	281	6.6	0.98×About typical	3,017	$29,906	2,317
Insurance agencies and brokerages	227	5.3	1.22×About typical	1,615	$86,833	682
Offices of physicians	210	4.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	6,131	$110,009	292
Offices of other health practitioners	204	4.8	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,118	$46,388	713

Rank places for an industry Open Richland County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 424,872 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 $137.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Irmo, South Carolina: $11.61 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $137.2K; +118% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.61; US $1,995
Sole-source: 24%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.5%; US 8.8%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$65.4K48%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$36.8K27%
Forest Service$21.5K16%
Department of the Army$12.1K8.8%
Department of the Navy$4,7723.5%
Bureau of Engraving and Printing$1740.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

132.2KFY2017
65.8KFY2018
123KFY2019
108.2KFY2020
1.5MFY2021
751.3KFY2022
139KFY2023
261KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$59.4K43%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$48.2K35%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$15.9K12%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$12.1K8.8%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$5,5814.1%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$174

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 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 Irmo, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Irmo, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Richland County, SC and Lexington County, SC ($833.7M 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: Irmo is mostly in Richland County.

See federal money in Richland 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.

Irmo, South Carolina is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Columbia, SC54

Other cities and towns in Richland 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
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/4535890

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends