Scores by category

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

Safety3#15,134/15,637
Economy39#9,585/15,631
Housing76#3,641/14,977
Health24#11,842/15,609
Healthcare13#13,568/15,650
Environment16#12,910/15,453
Education2#15,349/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,015/15,650
Community48#8,135/15,651
Leisure & amenities18#12,792/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ridgeland, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jasper 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 homes permitted · high25.5 /1k
97/100South Carolina 8.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Comfortable days · high33.9%
93/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationJasper County value
Grocery stores · high2.6 /10k
91/100South Carolina 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJasper County value
Child care cost burden · low21.4%
90/100South Carolina 28.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJasper County value
Voter turnout · high76.4%
89/100South Carolina 64.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionJasper County value
New business applications · high19.7 /1k
89/100South Carolina 16.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauJasper County value

Weaknesses

Reading scores · low2.27
0/100South Carolina 2.93United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJasper County value
Traffic deaths · high59.3 /100k
1/100South Carolina 20.5 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataJasper County value
Math scores · low2.27
1/100South Carolina 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJasper County value
Natural hazard risk · high98.4
2/100South Carolina 51.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencyJasper County value
Homicide rate · high13.3 /100k
4/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataJasper County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low8.4%
4/100South Carolina 32.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
5.5 /1k (2021) → 25.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+367%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
58.2% (2015-2019) → 27.5% (2020-2024)
−31 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,991 (2015-2019) → $62,981 (2020-2024)
+97%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.0% (2015-2019) → 75.4% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
34.2% (2015-2019) → 21.0% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
16.0% (2015-2019) → 8.4% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Ridgeland, South Carolina improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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

Household income+97%$31,991 → $62,981
Rent burden−31 points58.2% → 27.5%
Rent / income−13 points34.2% → 21.0%
Broadband+16 points59.0% → 75.4%

Declined1

Bachelor's+−7.6 points16.0% → 8.4%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Ridgeland, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.3 min2015-2019	30.8 min2020-2024	+4.4 min	Within the margin of error	12%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.0%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Declined	3%
Broadband subscriptions	59.0%2015-2019	75.4%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	84%
Child poverty rate	32.8%2015-2019	35.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	0.78%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	47%
High school diploma or higher	80.8%2015-2019	78.5%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	5.1×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	−1.4×	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4502015-2019	0.4202020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$31,9912015-2019	$62,9812020-2024	+97%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	25.2%2015-2019	26.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent as share of income	34.2%2015-2019	21.0%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	96%
Rent-burdened households	58.2%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	−31 points	Improved	98%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.2%2015-2019	20.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	18%

“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 Ridgeland, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ridgeland, 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, Ridgeland, South Carolina itself moved +18.4 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

3,764 residents (±17)

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 women (−6.0 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,764 residents (±17)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White25%923
Black53%2,011
Hispanic or Latino18%†688

Education

2,491 residents (±177)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma21%535
High school or GED42%1,051
Some college22%545

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

858 households (±111)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k29%†249
$25k–50k13%†114
$50k–75k13%†114
$75k–100k23%†196
$100k–150k14%†119
$150k–200k5.0%†43
$200k or more2.7%†23

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−26.1 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 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

858 households (±111)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own47%403
Rent53%455

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

444 households (±129)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75053%†237
$750–1,0005.9%†26
$1,000–1,50026%†117

Home values

403 homes (±117)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k16%†65
$150k–250k47%†188
$250k–400k24%†98

Age of homes

966 homes (±123)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later18%†171
2000–200931%†295
1980–199924%†229

Size of homes

966 homes (±123)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio0.8%†8
1 bedroom9.4%†91
2 bedrooms24%†229

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

1,333 workers (±208)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone71%952
Carpool27%†363
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.4%†18
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−11.0 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

1,315 workers (±207)

Ridgeland, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min24%†316
15–29 min18%†237
30–44 min28%†

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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, 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 Jasper County, the county holding most of Ridgeland's residents.

Jasper County has 838 employer establishments, 247 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 1.08× South Carolina's), with 9,687 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,422. The Census Bureau also counts 3,518 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 838; 3,518 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 247; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 9,687
Average annual pay: $52,422; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	131	38.5	2.49×More than typical	1,083	$68,392	561
Restaurants and other eating places	47	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	672	$19,344	23
Services to buildings and dwellings	47	13.8	2.05×More than typical	285	$49,168	458
Ambulatory health care services	40	11.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	499	$44,868	125
Other specialty trade contractors	35	10.3	4.10×More than typical	401	$74,185	125
Building equipment contractors	33	9.7	1.61×More than typical	231	$54,983	93
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	32	9.4	2.99×More than typical	229	$72,048	120
Landscaping services	32	9.4	2.69×More than typical	168	$54,298	163
Building finishing contractors	31	9.1	2.40×More than typical	222	$68,113	223
Gasoline stations	30	8.8	2.72×More than typical	270	$30,293	—
Construction of buildings	29	8.5	1.13×About typical	246	$71,118	126
Full-service restaurants	25	7.4	0.96×About typical	284	$20,137	8

Rank places for an industry Open Jasper County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 33,983 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 $1.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ridgeland, South Carolina: $510 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $1.9M; −38% vs FY2025
Per resident: $510; US $2,007
Sole-source: 1.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 59%; 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

1.5MFY2017
4.9MFY2018
25.7MFY2019
3.5MFY2020
2.3MFY2021
5.6MFY2022
4.7MFY2023
3.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing · 3363$499K26%
Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment manufacturing · 3334$386.3K20%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$193K10%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$159.4K8.3%
Rubber product manufacturing · 3262$139.1K7.2%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$94.7K

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 Ridgeland, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Ridgeland, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Jasper County, SC and Beaufort County, SC ($395.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.5% of that total.

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

See federal money in Jasper 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.

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

House

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.

Jasper County15100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC76

Other cities and towns in Jasper 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/4560280

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends