Census-designated place · Edgefield County, South Carolina

Murphys Estates, South Carolina

Murphys Estates is a census-designated place in Edgefield County, South Carolina, part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area. It has 1,064 residents. Murphys Estates, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 21 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,353 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #145 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), child care cost burden (low) and drinking water violations (low). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), restaurants and bars (low) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

21Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,353 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #145 of 268 in SC
Population: 1,064 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 518.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 4548900

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety50#7,824/15,637
Economy48#8,071/15,631
Housing44#8,356/14,977
Health29#11,146/15,609
Healthcare14#13,441/15,650
Environment73#4,098/15,453
Education14#13,530/15,649
Infrastructure17#12,976/15,650
Community30#10,888/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,145/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Child care cost burden · low22.2%
88/100South Carolina 28.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdgefield County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100South Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdgefield County value
Property crime rate · low572 /100k
86/100South Carolina 1,676 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationEdgefield County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.54%
85/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEdgefield County value

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100South Carolina 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEdgefield County value
Restaurants and bars · low4.0 /10k
5/100South Carolina 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEdgefield County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low41.9%
6/100South Carolina 69.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdgefield County value
Job growth · low-3.0%
7/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataEdgefield County value
Distance to an emergency room · high14.6 mi
7/100South Carolina 7.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesEdgefield County value
Math scores · low2.60
9/100South Carolina 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEdgefield County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,490 (2015-2019) → 1,064 (2020-2024)
−29%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
28.2% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
41.6% (2015-2019) → 21.5% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,331 (2015-2019) → $89,531 (2020-2024)
+71%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
27.3% (2015-2019) → 14.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.3× (2015-2019) → 2.1× (2020-2024)
+63%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Murphys Estates, South Carolina improved on 0 of 5 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 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.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 5 measures

Change of every measure of Murphys Estates, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	35.4 min2015-2019	24.5 min2020-2024	−10.9 min	Within the margin of error	99%
Broadband subscriptions	81.6%2015-2019	83.8%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	78.2%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4072015-2019	0.3912020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	65%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15075 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 Murphys Estates, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Murphys Estates, 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, Murphys Estates, South Carolina itself moved +7.4 points in standing on average over the same 4 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

1,064 residents (±378)

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: Under 10 men (−9.7 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

1,064 residents (±378)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White96%†1,025
Black3.7%†39
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

718 residents (±238)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma15%†107
High school or GED29%†210
Some college27%

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

419 households (±128)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k17%†72
$25k–50k8.4%†35
$50k–75k20%†83
$75k–100k11%†45
$100k–150k28%†116
$150k–200k7.4%†31
$200k or more8.8%†37

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

419 households (±128)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own92%†385
Rent8.1%†34

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

21 households (±31)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,500100%†21

Home values

385 homes (±130)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k21%†79
$150k–250k43%†165
$250k–400k19%†72

Age of homes

596 homes (±176)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later30%†178
2000–200923%†138
1980–199944%†

Size of homes

596 homes (±176)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.4%†20
2 bedrooms31%†185

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

580 workers (±253)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone81%†467
Carpool18%†103
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.7%†10
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (+16.0 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

570 workers (±253)

Murphys Estates, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min9.6%†55
15–29 min51%†291
30–44 min34%†

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

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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-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 Edgefield County, the county holding most of Murphys Estates's residents.

Edgefield County has 355 employer establishments, 124 for every 10,000 residents (0.50× the US rate of 248; 0.55× South Carolina's), with 4,914 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,116. The Census Bureau also counts 2,207 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 355; 2,207 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 124; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 4,914
Average annual pay: $52,116; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	38	13.3	0.86×About typical	178	$54,140	236
Religious organizations	22	7.7	1.39×More than typical	74	$19,027	—
Other specialty trade contractors	19	6.7	2.65×More than typical	87	$54,103	68
Services to buildings and dwellings	19	6.7	0.99×About typical	147	$33,701	221
Restaurants and other eating places	18	6.3	0.34×Fewer than typical	239	$14,590	5
Lessors of real estate	15	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	24	$36,917	140
Ambulatory health care services	13	4.6	0.22×Fewer than typical	264	$54,648	105
Landscaping services	12	4.2	1.20×About typical	109	$33,670	100
Building equipment contractors	11	3.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	69	$55,652	35
Construction of buildings	11	3.9	0.51×Fewer than typical	18	$61,556	85
Full-service restaurants	11	3.9	0.50×Fewer than typical	131	$13,435	4
Truck transportation	11	3.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	151	$76,424	67

Rank places for an industry Open Edgefield County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,521 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 Murphys Estates, South Carolina: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

419.8FY2019
130.5FY2021
0FY2022
594.3FY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Murphys Estates, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Murphys Estates, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Edgefield County, SC ($19M 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: Murphys Estates is mostly in Edgefield County.

See federal money in Edgefield 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.

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

House

Sheri BiggsR-SC-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.0%

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.

Edgefield County26100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC29

Other cities and towns in Edgefield 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/4548900