These Are The 10 Most Conservative Cities In South Carolina For 2019


We used science and data to determine which cities in South Carolina are probably voting for Trump.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2019. This is our third time ranking the most conservative places to live in South Carolina.

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Well this has been one heck of a couple of years for the Republican Party. Never in my life time have I see anything like it — given that’s a relatively short lifetime, but who’s counting?

And now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of South Carolina would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.

Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Palmetto State?

In order to do so, we turned our sites on measuring how each city in South Carolina with populations greater than 5,000 voted and contributed to political campaigns in the past several years. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted republican and gave the most to conservatives where named the most conservative cities in the state.

Here are the 10 most conservative places in South Carolina for 2019:

  1. Easley (Photos)
  2. Central (Photos)
  3. Clemson (Photos)
  4. Seneca (Photos)
  5. Anderson (Photos)
  6. Gaffney (Photos)
  7. Conway (Photos)
  8. North Myrtle Beach (Photos)
  9. Myrtle Beach (Photos)
  10. Cayce (Photos)

If you’re wondering, Orangeburg is the most liberal city in South Carolina of all those we measured.

And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in South Carolina.

And if you already knew these places were conservative, check out some more reading about South Carolina and the most conservative places in the country:

How we determined the most conservative cities in South Carolina for 2019

We started by making a list of every city in South Carolina over 5,000 people based on the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (The most recent data). That left us with 63 cities and towns.

We then measured the voting record and donation data to determine which places lean the most rightward in their allegiances by:

  1. Percentage Of Registered Republicans
  2. # Of Contributions To Republicans Per Capita
  3. $ Amount Contributed To Republicans Per Capita

Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 63 for each of the criteria where number one was the most conservative.

The winner, Easley, is “The Most Conservative City in South Carolina For 2019”.

Let’s go through these conservative places, shall we?

The 10 Most Conservative Places In South Carolina For 2019

Easley, SC

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 20,521
Percent Republican: 73.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $7.5
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.04
More on Easley: PhotosData

Easley is a city in Pickens County in the State of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County.

Central, SC

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,161
Percent Republican: 73.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $1.14
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.01
More on Central: PhotosData

Central is a town in Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,159, roughly 3,000 of which were considered permanent residents. Contrary to its name, it is not near the center of South Carolina. It received its name from its geographic location, being the halfway or central point between Atlanta and Charlotte along the former Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway line. The primary campus of Southern Wesleyan University is located east of the downtown area.

Clemson, SC

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 15,375
Percent Republican: 73.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $11.54
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.04
More on Clemson: PhotosData

Clemson is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, the Princeton Review cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for “town-and-gown” relations with its resident university. The population of the city was 13,905 at the 2010 census.

Clemson is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area. Most of the city is in Pickens County, which is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. A small portion is in Anderson County, which is part of the Anderson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Seneca, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,199
Percent Republican: 71.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $13.1
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.09
More on Seneca: PhotosData

Seneca is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,102 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Seneca Micropolitan Statistical Area, an which includes all of Oconee County and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area.

Anderson, SC

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 27,011
Percent Republican: 69.9%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $6.37
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.03
More on Anderson: PhotosData

Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 26,686 at the 2010 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Greenville-Anderson–Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 824,112 at the 2010 census. It is further included in the larger Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area, with a total population of 1,266,995, at the 2010 census. Anderson is just off Interstate 85 and is 120 miles from Atlanta and 140 miles from Charlotte.

Gaffney, SC

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,756
Percent Republican: 69.7%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $5.27
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.02
More on Gaffney: PhotosData

Gaffney is a town in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the “Peach Capital of South Carolina”. The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 12,597 in 2014. It is the principal city of the Gaffney, South Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area.

Conway, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 21,534
Percent Republican: 67.2%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $12.16
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.06
More on Conway: PhotosData

Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University.

North Myrtle Beach, SC

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,510
Percent Republican: 67.2%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $54.2
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.17
More on North Myrtle Beach: PhotosData

Myrtle Beach, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 30,760
Percent Republican: 67.2%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $24.61
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.06
More on Myrtle Beach: PhotosData

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina.

Cayce, SC

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 13,668
Percent Republican: 65.5%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $34.06
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.1
More on Cayce: PhotosData

Cayce is a city in Lexington and Richland counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. The population was 12,528 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in South Carolina

Well there you have it, the places in South Carolina that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Easley ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.

If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in South Carolina:

  1. Orangeburg
  2. Irmo
  3. Columbia

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Conservative Places In South Carolina

Rank City Population % Conservative
1 Easley, SC 20,521 73.9%
2 Central, SC 5,161 73.9%
3 Clemson, SC 15,375 73.9%
4 Seneca, SC 8,199 71.9%
5 Anderson, SC 27,011 69.9%
6 Gaffney, SC 12,756 69.7%
7 Conway, SC 21,534 67.2%
8 North Myrtle Beach, SC 15,510 67.2%
9 Myrtle Beach, SC 30,760 67.2%
10 Cayce, SC 13,668 65.5%
11 Lexington, SC 20,653 65.5%
12 West Columbia, SC 17,056 65.5%
13 Clinton, SC 8,538 63.3%
14 Laurens, SC 8,931 63.3%
15 Spartanburg, SC 37,384 63.0%
16 Abbeville, SC 5,103 62.8%
17 Aiken, SC 30,277 61.5%
18 North Augusta, SC 22,268 61.5%
19 Lancaster, SC 8,948 60.9%
20 Camden, SC 7,000 60.5%
21 Newberry, SC 10,257 59.6%
22 Mauldin, SC 24,813 59.4%
23 Simpsonville, SC 20,741 59.4%
24 Fountain Inn, SC 8,455 59.4%
25 Greenville, SC 64,061 59.4%
26 Greer, SC 28,587 59.4%
27 Greenwood, SC 23,148 59.0%
28 Fort Mill, SC 14,451 58.4%
29 Tega Cay, SC 9,464 58.4%
30 Rock Hill, SC 70,764 58.4%
31 Union, SC 7,926 58.4%
32 Clover, SC 5,731 58.4%
33 York, SC 8,001 58.4%
34 Cheraw, SC 5,702 56.2%
35 Goose Creek, SC 41,040 56.1%
36 Moncks Corner, SC 9,759 56.1%
37 Hanahan, SC 21,729 56.1%
38 Summerville, SC 49,122 55.9%
39 Georgetown, SC 8,960 54.9%
40 Hilton Head Island, SC 39,666 54.7%
41 Port Royal, SC 12,218 54.7%
42 Beaufort, SC 13,413 54.7%
43 Bluffton, SC 17,164 54.7%
44 Walterboro, SC 5,143 52.7%
45 Chester, SC 5,446 51.2%
46 Lake City, SC 6,697 51.0%
47 Florence, SC 37,840 51.0%
48 Hartsville, SC 7,694 50.5%
49 Darlington, SC 6,075 50.5%
50 Dillon, SC 6,540 48.2%
51 Hardeeville, SC 5,084 45.4%
52 James Island, SC 11,908 42.8%
53 Hollywood, SC 5,083 42.8%
54 Charleston, SC 131,204 42.8%
55 North Charleston, SC 108,186 42.8%
56 Mount Pleasant, SC 80,661 42.8%
57 Sumter, SC 40,286 42.5%
58 Bennettsville, SC 8,493 41.1%
59 Marion, SC 6,590 38.1%
60 Forest Acres, SC 10,466 31.1%
61 Columbia, SC 132,236 31.1%
62 Irmo, SC 11,950 31.1%
63 Orangeburg, SC 13,215 30.7%