The 10 Worst Small Towns In South Carolina For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in SC are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 54,827 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in South Carolina.

Most Americans have never been to South Carolina. However, as the people who live there know, South Carolina is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, South Carolina has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Palmetto State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 145 of South Carolina's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in South Carolina where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in South Carolina for 2022:

  1. Watts Mills
  2. East Sumter
  3. Blackville
  4. Edisto
  5. Ware Shoals
  6. Fairfax
  7. Allendale
  8. Saxon
  9. Timmonsville
  10. Calhoun Falls

So what is the worst small town to call home in South Carolina for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Watts Mills is the worst small town to live in South Carolina.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since South Carolina has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in South Carolina or the worst places to live in South Carolina.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In South Carolina For 2022

1. Watts Mills

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,970
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $70,900 (30th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (7th worst)
More on Watts Mills:  Data

2. East Sumter

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,208
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 7)
Median Home Value: $63,900 (2worst)
Unemployment Rate: 36.4% (worst)
More on East Sumter:  Data

3. Blackville

Blackville, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Efy96001 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 2,037
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $65,000 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.5% (43rd worst)
More on Blackville:  Data | Photos

4. Edisto

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,993
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $56,400 (15th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (23rd worst)
More on Edisto:  Data

5. Ware Shoals

Ware Shoals, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 2,455
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $53,700 (12th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (64th worst)
More on Ware Shoals:  Data | Photos

6. Fairfax

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,241
Rank Last Year: 23 (Up 17)
Median Home Value: $43,400 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.3% (13th worst)
More on Fairfax:  Data

7. Allendale

Allendale, SC

Source: Wikipedia User |
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,953
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $39,300 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.1% (24th worst)
More on Allendale:  Data | Photos

8. Saxon

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,727
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $42,900 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (38th worst)
More on Saxon:  Data

9. Timmonsville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,464
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $72,300 (32nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.7% (19th worst)
More on Timmonsville:  Data

10. Calhoun Falls

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,814
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 7)
Median Home Value: $51,200 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.1% (34th worst)
More on Calhoun Falls:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in South Carolina, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in South Carolina for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 145 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In South Carolina

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Palmetto State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in South Carolina, according to science:

  1. India Hook (Pop. 3,762)
  2. Pinopolis (Pop. 1,130)
  3. Isle of Palms (Pop. 4,371)

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In South Carolina

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Watts Mills 1,970 18.4% $70,900
2 East Sumter 1,208 36.4% $63,900
3 Blackville 2,037 9.5% $65,000
4 Edisto 1,993 11.2% $56,400
5 Ware Shoals 2,455 6.8% $53,700
6 Fairfax 2,241 14.3% $43,400
7 Allendale 2,953 11.1% $39,300
8 Saxon 3,727 9.9% $42,900
9 Timmonsville 2,464 12.7% $72,300
10 Calhoun Falls 1,814 10.1% $51,200
11 Mullins 4,276 16.8% $79,100
12 Denmark 3,231 12.0% $49,900
13 Blacksburg 2,101 10.1% $85,200
14 Estill 2,759 18.0% $68,600
15 Brookdale 4,740 23.3% $80,300
16 Southern Shops 3,965 2.5% $62,900
17 Wilkinson Heights 1,863 12.6% $80,900
18 Judson 1,412 8.0% $58,100
19 Saluda 3,603 5.5% $68,500
20 Walhalla 4,377 14.1% $103,200
21 East Gaffney 3,043 7.6% $65,000
22 Branchville 1,223 10.6% $71,100
23 Edgefield 4,800 20.0% $86,600
24 Catawba 1,069 10.4% $1,000
25 Monarch Mill 1,264 0.2% $54,600
26 Jefferson 1,118 9.6% $96,300
27 Arcadia 2,991 9.9% $47,400
28 Gaston 2,074 7.2% $92,400
29 Buffalo 1,020 9.7% $45,500
30 Williston 2,950 9.4% $156,500
31 Lincolnville 2,429 15.7% $151,400
32 City View 1,607 1.6% $1,000
33 St. Stephen 1,511 9.7% $116,800
34 Pageland 2,556 9.3% $103,300
35 Cherryvale 3,298 26.2% $54,700
36 Bonneau 1,801 3.4% $24,700
37 Wedgefield 1,916 8.3% $89,500
38 Winnsboro Mills 2,099 4.3% $62,000
39 Westminster 2,543 10.1% $115,500
40 Mccoll 1,682 10.3% $57,300
41 Graniteville 2,566 0.5% $95,900
42 Pelzer 1,653 11.0% $115,900
43 Holly Hill 1,469 5.2% $141,000
44 Hopkins 2,068 0.2% $61,100
45 Manning 3,924 20.4% $98,000
46 Slater-Marietta 2,098 6.0% $72,400
47 Whitmire 1,641 3.9% $36,800
48 South Sumter 2,249 15.8% $67,100
49 Johnston 2,556 5.1% $89,400
50 Mccormick 3,043 5.2% $79,300
51 Langley 2,179 6.2% $34,700
52 Loris 2,676 7.7% $155,600
53 Privateer 2,487 5.8% $130,000
54 Winnsboro 3,208 13.3% $116,000
55 Ridgeland 3,903 1.3% $159,500
56 Cowpens 1,944 3.9% $91,100
57 Barnwell 4,373 5.2% $105,800
58 Clearwater 4,060 14.0% $131,100
59 Great Falls 1,806 4.6% $51,400
60 Santee 1,165 5.7% $152,700
61 Fairforest 1,484 6.0% $66,100
62 Gloverville 3,008 8.3% $66,200
63 West Pelzer 1,049 4.7% $102,900
64 Iva 1,177 13.3% $69,900
65 Wagener 1,267 13.0% $95,000
66 Cane Savannah 1,052 10.2% $99,800
67 Springdale 2,878 10.0% $90,700
68 Varnville 1,832 7.0% $85,300
69 Woodruff 4,333 9.6% $1,000
70 St. George 2,209 1.2% $133,400
71 Eureka Mill 2,121 10.9% $87,900
72 Kingstree 3,058 3.1% $95,000
73 St. Matthews 2,400 19.6% $123,900
74 Duncan 3,556 5.8% $116,900
75 Latta 1,627 7.2% $96,300
76 Bamberg 3,240 3.1% $77,000
77 South Congaree 2,739 5.7% $139,400
78 Irwin 1,308 1.7% $86,300
79 Dunean 3,099 5.2% $103,300
80 Belton 4,436 4.1% $96,400
81 Bishopville 3,043 10.0% $120,700
82 Burne 2,731 8.6% $143,300
83 Ridgeville 1,849 3.8% $159,100
84 Pacolet 2,418 3.5% $80,400
85 Hampton 3,077 6.6% $130,400
86 Awendaw 1,744 15.5% $230,600
87 Jackson 2,111 4.9% $128,100
88 New Ellenton 2,159 6.4% $89,600
89 Murphys Estates 1,563 3.4% $81,900
90 Andrews 3,041 0.7% $93,000
91 Prosperity 1,257 4.1% $116,200
92 Pendleton 3,245 6.1% $149,200
93 Ravenel 2,650 3.4% $219,800
94 Elgin 2,865 7.5% $119,200
95 Honea Path 3,753 8.9% $91,800
96 Johnsonville 1,175 9.1% $94,900
97 Golden Grove 3,449 1.2% $117,200
98 Pickens 3,169 5.6% $118,500
99 Lamar 1,123 3.7% $116,800
100 Kershaw 1,765 4.9% $108,300
Download The Entire South Carolina Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst