Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US states.

Safety12#45/51
Economy16#43/51
Housing52#25/51
Health22#40/51
Healthcare28#37/51
Environment58#21/49
Education22#40/51
Infrastructure18#42/51
Community26#38/51
Leisure & amenities46#28/51

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US states (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New homes permitted · high8.5 /1k
98/100United States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Comfortable days · high31.6%
94/100United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · low0.49%
92/100United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Job growth · high0.7%
89/100United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
High ozone days · low0 days
84/100United States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high51.0%
79/100United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high20.5 /100k
8/100United States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from countiesProvisional data
Public transit commuters · low0.4%
10/100United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Homicide rate · high8.4 /100k
10/100United States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Access to exercise opportunities · low69.4%
12/100United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Income adjusted for local prices · low$64,828
12/100United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Mental health care shortage · high15.5
14/100United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,131,992 (2020) → 5,570,274 (2025)
+8.5%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
9% (2021) → 72% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+63 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.2% (2015-2019) → 88.8% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drinking water violationsWorsening
0 (2020) → 0 (2023)
+50%3 years
Drug overdose deathsImproving
39.7 /100k (2021) → 22.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.1% (2020 & 2021) → 28.4% (2023 & 2024)
+8.3 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%

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, South Carolina improved on 16 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among states: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Weekly wage+29%$953 → $1,226
High school++2.6 points87.5% → 90.1%
Bachelor's++4 points28.1% → 32.1%
Broadband+11 points78.2% → 88.8%
Uninsured−2 points13.2% → 11.2%

Declined5

Rent / income+1.5 points29.6% → 31.1%
Rent burden+3 points49.1% → 52.1%
Commute+0.7 min25.0 min → 25.6 min
Price / income+0.7×3.1× → 3.7×
Pharmacies−9.4%2.3 /10k → 2.1 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.3 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	+19%	Improved	70%
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	25.6 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Declined	11%
Average weekly wage	$9532020	$1,2262025	+29%	Improved	91%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.1%2015-2019	32.1%2020-2024	+4 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	78.2%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	87%
Child poverty rate	19.9%2019	18.1%2024	−1.8 points	Improved	74%
Distance to an airport	24 mi2020	24 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	51%
Drug overdose deaths	32.6 /100k2020	22.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−32%	Improved	56%
Effective property tax rate	0.56%2015-2019	0.49%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	25%
Firearm deaths	22.0 /100k2020	18.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−15%	Improved	72%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−0.5%	Within the margin of error	38%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+7.3%	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	87.5%2015-2019	90.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Improved	95%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	34%
Homicide rate	12.1 /100k2020	8.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−31%	Improved	40%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,4432019	$64,8282024	+29%	Improved	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4762020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$56,3602019	$72,5072024	+29%	Improved	77%
New business applications	13.8 /1k2020	16.9 /1k2025	+22%	Improved	28%
Pharmacies	2.3 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−9.4%	Declined	36%
Poverty rate	13.9%2019	13.3%2024	−0.6 points	Improved	73%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−4%	Within the margin of error	40%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	83%
Rent as share of income	29.6%2015-2019	31.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Declined	12%
Rent-burdened households	49.1%2015-2019	52.1%2020-2024	+3 points	Declined	13%
Restaurants and bars	9.7 /10k2020	9.7 /10k2025	−0.3%	Within the margin of error	34%
Students per teacher	14.7×2019	13.8×2024	−0.9×	Improved	60%
Suicide rate	16.9 /100k2020	16.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.6%	Within the margin of error	81%
Traffic deaths	20.0 /100k2015-2019	20.5 /100k2020-2024	+2.7%	Within the margin of error	66%
Unemployment rate	6.0%2020	4.5%2025	−1.5 points	Improved	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.2%2019	11.2%2024	−2 points	Improved	81%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 51 states 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.

States like South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of 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, South Carolina itself moved −1.1 points in standing on average over the same 31 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

5,296,225 residents

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

2,117,989 households (±5,782)

South Carolina
United States share

Under $25k17%360,060
$25k–50k20%415,875
$50k–75k17%360,417

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,117,989 households (±5,782)

South Carolina
United States share

Own72%1,522,121
Rent28%595,868

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,425,248 workers (±9,082)

South Carolina
United States share

Drive alone76%1,850,945
Carpool8.5%207,171
Public transit0.4%8,682

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in South Carolina employ 519,780 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in South Carolina by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons67,310 jobs	67,310	$30,690US $35,410	−13%	1.16×
Fast Food and Counter Workers65,070 jobs	65,070	$27,520US $31,200	−12%	1.14×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand56,700 jobs	56,700	$37,530US $40,240	−7%	1.3×
Cashiers56,550 jobs	56,550	$28,530US $32,880	−13%	1.23×
Customer Service Representatives51,000 jobs	51,000	$38,860US $44,770	−13%	1.33×
Registered Nurses49,750 jobs	49,750	$82,360US $97,550	−16%	0.99×
Waiters and Waitresses47,200 jobs	47,200	$18,370US $35,230	−48%	1.4×
Office Clerks, General42,250 jobs	42,250	$36,840US $45,010	−18%	1.16×
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators42,150 jobs	42,150	$45,500US $44,650	+2%	2.02×
Stockers and Order Fillers41,800 jobs	41,800	$36,020US $37,330	−4%	1.0×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in South Carolina.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

South Carolina has 122,958 employer establishments, 228 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248), with 2,067,143 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,961. The Census Bureau also counts 482,483 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 122,958; 482,483 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 228; US 248
Paid employees: 2,067,143
Average annual pay: $52,961; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	9,731	18.1	0.98×About typical	200,044	$21,174	2,674
Ambulatory health care services	8,866	16.4	0.79×Fewer than typical	102,710	$70,850	19,617
Specialty trade contractors	7,969	14.8	0.95×About typical	63,201	$61,609	34,037
Lessors of real estate	6,877	12.8	1.04×About typical	22,978	$56,855	48,717
Full-service restaurants	4,583	8.5	1.11×About typical	98,946	$24,329	1,194
Religious organizations	4,540	8.4	1.52×More than typical	32,780	$24,338	—
Limited-service restaurants	4,227	7.8	0.98×About typical	88,115	$17,978	977
Services to buildings and dwellings	3,794	7	1.04×About typical	38,768	$34,155	38,062
Real estate agents and brokers	3,337	6.2	1.27×More than typical	7,097	$62,050	14,959
Construction of buildings	3,329	6.2	0.82×About typical	20,646	$80,917	14,976
Building equipment contractors	2,826	5.2	0.87×About typical	29,644	$63,088	6,712
Legal services	2,760	5.1	0.95×About typical	16,773	$88,170	3,309

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,390,798 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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $9.5B on contracts performed in South Carolina: $1,702 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $9.5B; +14% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,702; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.7%; 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 Energy$4.9B51%
Department of the Navy$1.3B14%
U.S. Coast Guard$526M5.5%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$463.3M4.9%
Department of the Air Force$383.9M4.0%
Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response$371.6M3.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$361.8M3.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$349.7M3.7%

Top recipients

SAVANNAH RIVER NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS LLC$3.4B36%
SAVANNAH RIVER MISSION COMPLETION, LLC$1.1B11%
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL$390.3M4.1%
BRASFIELD & GORRIE LLC$387.6M4.1%
BATTELLE SAVANNAH RIVER ALLIANCE, LLC$324.5M3.4%

Spending by fiscal year

5BFY2017
6.7BFY2018
6.2BFY2019
6.5BFY2020
6.7BFY2021
7.2BFY2022
10.1BFY2023
10.6B

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$3.7B39%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$1.1B12%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$909M9.6%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$593.5M6.3%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$579.6M6.1%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415

Largest awards

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACT FOR THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE.$27.6B
SAVANNAH RIVER NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS LLC· Aiken County, SC· Facilities & utilities· Oct 24, 2016 – Sep 29, 2026· DEAC0908SR22470
THIS AWARD IS FOR THE SAVANNAH RIVER INTEGRATED MISSION COMPLETION CONTRACT - TASK ORDER 6 (LIQUID WASTE OPERATIONS).$2.6B
SAVANNAH RIVER MISSION COMPLETION, LLC· Aiken County, SC· Professional services· Sep 13, 2023 – Sep 29, 2026· 89303723FEM400292
SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING (M&O) CONTRACT$1.6B
BATTELLE SAVANNAH RIVER ALLIANCE, LLC· Aiken County, SC· Research & development· Dec 22, 2020 – Sep 21, 2026· 89303321CEM000080

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.

Explore contracts in South Carolina

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $124.8B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for South Carolina: $22,410 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $124.8B; −3.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $22,410; US $12,955
Loan face value: $6.3B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$38.7B31%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$33.2B27%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$24.1B19%
93.778 · Grants to States for Medicaid$7.9B6.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$5.2B4.2%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$3.2B2.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1.9B1.5%
10.551 · Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program$1B0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HUMAN SERVICES$8.3B6.7%
COLUMBIA, SC
SOCIAL SERVICES SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$1.6B1.3%
COLUMBIA, SC
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.3B1.0%
COLUMBIA, SC
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION$1.1B0.9%
WEST COLUMBIA, SC
ADJUTANT GENERAL SOUTH CAROLINA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$80.4B64%
Department of Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration$30.1B24%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$5.9B4.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Food and Nutrition Service$1.7B1.4%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

115.3BFY2021
103.2BFY2022
113.1BFY2023
119.8BFY2024
128.8BFY2025
124.8BFY2026

County aggregates

87%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in South Carolina

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

Federal money per resident in South Carolina, and how its outcomes moved, each next to the United States. Counties whose money jumped are compared on their own pages.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

South Carolina
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2017	$995	$1,436
FY2018	$1,307	$1,552
FY2019	$1,207	$1,654
FY2020	$1,272	$1,880
FY2021	$1,284	$1,810
FY2022	$1,354	$1,917
FY2023	$1,882	$2,079
FY2024	$1,935	$2,047
FY2025	$1,495	$2,165
FY2026	$1,702 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2017	$190	$93.28
FY2018	$228	$105
FY2019	$162	$128
FY2020	$134	$145
FY2021	$124	$117
FY2022

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$4,525	$5,748
FY2022	$3,617	$5,221
FY2023	$4,195	$5,364
FY2024	$4,299	$5,501
FY2025	$4,249	$5,732
FY2026	$4,250

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$208	$298
FY2022	$262	$357
FY2023	$223	$301
FY2024	$234	$319
FY2025	$295	$360
FY2026	$278

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$153	$239
FY2022	$109	$185
FY2023	$120	$229
FY2024	$120	$229
FY2025	$154	$249
FY2026	$99.67

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$1,699	$2,304
FY2022	$1,458	$2,197
FY2023	$1,554	$2,274
FY2024	$1,587	$2,267
FY2025	$1,586	$2,397
FY2026	$1,738

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$846	$1,186
FY2022	$286	$465
FY2023	$59.78	$76.52
FY2024	$103	$120
FY2025	$118	$148
FY2026	$80.14

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

South Carolina
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, South Carolina and the United States, by year
Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	2.6%	2.0%
2015	2.9%

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties of South Carolina whose money per resident jumped. Open a county for its comparison with similar counties.

Charleston County, SCTransportation grants · FY2024$442 (3.8×)
Berkeley County, SCFederal contracts · FY2023$9,051 (5.4×)
Berkeley County, SCContracts and grants · FY2023$9,226 (4.7×)
Kershaw County, SCContracts and grants · FY2023$1,421 (4.4×)
Jasper County, SCTransportation grants · FY2023$1,270 (2.1×)

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/45

See all comparisons

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.

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

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Counties of South Carolina

All 46 counties, best quality-of-life score first.

Metro areas in South Carolina

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas based in South Carolina, largest first.

Largest cities and towns in South Carolina

By population.

All 475 cities and towns in South Carolina

Neighboring states

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar states

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/45

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	−4.8%	−4.2%
2015	−2.1%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.0%	+3.3%
2018	+4.2%	+6.8%
2019	+8.1%	+10.5%
2020	+15.5%	+19.4%
2021	+21.9%	+26.1%
2022	+29.5%	+30.6%
2023	+35.0%	+35.0%
2024	+42.2%	+41.0%
2025	+48.6%	+46.8%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	−7.4%	−5.5%
2015	−2.8%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+4.0%	+4.1%
2018	+7.5%	+8.9%
2019	+13.2%	+13.5%
2020	+19.7%	+20.8%
2021	+31.0%	+32.1%
2022	+33.9%	+35.4%
2023	+41.8%	+42.9%
2024	+49.1%	+49.5%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	5.7/1k	3.3/1k
2015	6.3/1k	3.7/1k
2016	6.5/1k	3.7/1k
2017	7.1/1k	3.9/1k
2018	7.0/1k	4.1/1k
2019	7.0/1k	4.2/1k
2020	8.3/1k	4.4/1k
2021	9.8/1k	5.2/1k
2022	8.7/1k	5.0/1k
2023	7.9/1k	4.5/1k
2024	8.6/1k	4.3/1k
2025	8.2/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	−8.6%	−6.9%
2015	−4.6%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.2%	+4.7%
2018	+5.8%	+7.5%
2019	+13.7%	+14.0%
2020	+15.4%	+16.9%
2021	+19.9%	+21.0%
2022	+29.5%	+29.7%
2023	+37.1%	+34.9%
2024	+46.2%	+41.6%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	17.9%	15.5%
2015	16.8%	14.7%
2016	15.3%	14.0%
2017	15.4%	13.4%
2018	15.2%	13.1%
2019	13.9%	12.3%
2020	13.8%	11.9%
2021	14.5%	12.8%
2022	14.0%	12.6%
2023	13.9%	12.5%
2024	13.3%	12.1%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	6.3%	6.2%
2015	5.9%	5.3%
2016	4.9%	4.9%
2017	4.2%	4.4%
2018	3.4%	3.9%
2019	2.8%	3.7%
2020	6.0%	8.1%
2021	3.9%	5.4%
2022	3.2%	3.7%
2023	3.0%	3.6%
2024	4.1%	4.0%
2025	4.5%	4.3%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	−10.2% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−4.9% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+5.1% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+10.8% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+16.8% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+28.5% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+50.2% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+71.0% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+76.0% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+79.3% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+78.6% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	16.1%	13.5%
2015	13.0%	10.9%
2016	12.1%	10.0%
2017	13.1%	10.2%
2018	12.7%	10.4%
2019	13.2%	10.8%
2020	12.8%	10.4%
2021	12.3%	10.2%
2022	11.0%	9.5%
2023	11.1%	9.5%
2024	11.2%	9.8%

Calendar years	South Carolina	United States
2014	7.2/1k	8.5/1k
2015	7.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	8.3/1k	9.1/1k
2017	9.0/1k	9.8/1k
2018	9.7/1k	10.7/1k
2019	10.0/1k	10.6/1k
2020	13.8/1k	13.1/1k
2021	18.5/1k	16.2/1k
2022	17.2/1k	15.1/1k
2023	17.0/1k	16.2/1k
2024	15.7/1k	15.4/1k
2025	16.9/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

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