The 10 Poorest Cities In South Carolina For 2024


The poorest places in South Carolina are Orangeburg and Dillon for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, South Carolina has certain places that are going on hard times. These South Carolina places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in South Carolina.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 65 cities in South Carolina with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Places In South Carolina For 2024:

  1. Orangeburg
  2. Dillon
  3. Cheraw
  4. Marion
  5. Darlington
  6. Lancaster
  7. Union
  8. Bennettsville
  9. Central
  10. Clinton

Poorest Places In South Carolina Map

What’s the poorest city in South Carolina? According to the facts, Orangeburg is the poorest place in South Carolina for 2024.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In South Carolina For 2024

1. Orangeburg

Orangeburg, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Akhenaton06 at English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 13,220
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 2)
Median Income: $29,340 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.0% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,494
More on Orangeburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Orangeburg, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in South Carolina thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 13,220 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in South Carolina and the 4th highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Dillon

Dillon, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Gerry Dincher | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,454
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 10)
Median Income: $34,086 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.6% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,554
More on Dillon: Data | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in South Carolina is Dillon.

The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 6th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 42nd highest in the Palmetto State.

3. Cheraw

Cheraw, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,056
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $30,658 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.8% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,707
More on Cheraw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Cheraw’s median income ranks as the 3rd lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 33.77% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Palmetto State.

4. Marion

Marion, SC

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

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/10

Population: 6,402
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Income: $28,551 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.7% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,964
More on Marion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Marion ranks as the fourth poorest place in South Carolina.

The town ranks as having the lowest median household income and the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Darlington

Darlington, SC

Source: Flickr User Roadgeek Adam | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 6,172
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $33,750 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.9% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,907
More on Darlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in South Carolina is Darlington.

The city ranks as having the 5th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 7th highest in South Carolina.

Still not the best news for Darlington.

6. Lancaster

Lancaster, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Calatayudboy | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,592
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $37,714 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.6% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,710
More on Lancaster: Data | Cost Of Living

Lancaster ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Palmetto State.

It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the 3rd highest unemployment rate.

7. Union

Union, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,099
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $32,548 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.4% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,057
More on Union: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Union places as the seventh poorest city in South Carolina.

The city of over 8,099 ranks as having the 14th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Bennettsville

Bennettsville, SC

Source: Flickr User MikeKalasnik | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 6,975
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $37,891 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.1% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,888
More on Bennettsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Bennettsville ranks as the eighth poorest city in South Carolina.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Central

Central, SC

Source: Flickr User ~ wryonedwards ~ | CC BY-ND 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,272
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Income: $45,909 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.4% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,810
More on Central: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Central couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in South Carolina; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 16th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Central ranks as having the 3rd most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in South Carolina.

10. Clinton

Clinton, SC

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,624
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $38,350 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.8% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,967
More on Clinton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in South Carolina is Clinton.

The city of 7,624 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Palmetto State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In South Carolina for 2024

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 65 places with more than 5,000 people in South Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 65 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Orangeburg, crowned the “Poorest Place In South Carolina For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in South Carolina.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In South Carolina For 2024

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in South Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in South Carolina.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in South Carolina, according to data:

    Richest: Tega Cay
    2nd Richest: Fort Mill
    3rd Richest: James Island

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In South Carolina

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Orangeburg 13,220 34.0% $29,340 4,494
2 Dillon 6,454 39.6% $34,086 2,554
3 Cheraw 5,056 33.8% $30,658 1,707
4 Marion 6,402 30.7% $28,551 1,964
5 Darlington 6,172 30.9% $33,750 1,907
6 Lancaster 8,592 31.6% $37,714 2,710
7 Union 8,099 25.4% $32,548 2,057
8 Bennettsville 6,975 27.1% $37,891 1,888
9 Central 5,272 34.4% $45,909 1,810
10 Clinton 7,624 25.8% $38,350 1,967
11 Hartsville 7,450 26.8% $46,230 1,997
12 Greenwood 22,528 24.7% $38,884 5,557
13 Clemson 17,557 36.0% $50,263 6,327
14 Anderson 29,345 25.1% $40,445 7,371
15 Newberry 10,682 26.7% $47,565 2,851
16 Gaffney 12,651 23.1% $38,059 2,918
17 Lake City 6,080 22.4% $37,013 1,362
18 Chester 5,260 23.8% $39,951 1,252
19 Travelers Rest 7,929 23.8% $44,375 1,883
20 Spartanburg 38,301 25.7% $49,140 9,831
21 Walterboro 5,515 22.7% $46,119 1,251
22 Conway 25,121 20.2% $48,161 5,084
23 Columbia 136,754 24.2% $54,095 33,162
24 Laurens 9,276 22.4% $52,585 2,082
25 Sumter 43,046 17.5% $48,900 7,533
26 Seneca 8,834 16.8% $48,108 1,485
27 York 8,534 17.4% $50,177 1,483
28 Batesburg-Leesville 5,004 15.8% $49,807 788
29 Florence 39,931 18.8% $56,031 7,523
30 Camden 7,834 17.9% $54,141 1,399
31 Georgetown 8,465 15.5% $50,000 1,314
32 Beaufort 13,582 19.7% $60,366 2,674
33 Cayce 13,755 17.9% $56,976 2,456
34 Myrtle Beach 36,064 15.3% $50,558 5,510
35 North Charleston 115,755 16.5% $58,534 19,064
36 West Columbia 17,459 14.2% $52,648 2,475
37 Aiken 32,014 16.0% $65,712 5,115
38 Greenville 70,838 14.4% $65,519 10,179
39 Rock Hill 74,170 13.0% $60,807 9,612
40 Easley 23,135 12.7% $62,551 2,928
41 Fountain Inn 10,675 15.3% $73,665 1,637
42 Clover 6,800 12.0% $63,649 818
43 Forest Acres 10,514 9.7% $68,110 1,019
44 Port Royal 14,573 9.0% $68,909 1,313
45 Greer 37,010 10.6% $73,534 3,919
46 Summerville 50,839 10.8% $73,712 5,480
47 Hanahan 20,731 13.0% $79,305 2,690
48 Hardeeville 8,048 8.8% $75,948 704
49 North Myrtle Beach 18,850 7.0% $69,792 1,313
50 Charleston 149,960 12.6% $83,891 18,894
51 Mauldin 25,267 7.7% $75,565 1,955
52 Lexington 23,665 8.3% $78,164 1,957
53 Lyman 6,099 6.5% $76,723 397
54 Moncks Corner 13,456 8.1% $83,079 1,083
55 Irmo 11,685 6.6% $77,656 768
56 North Augusta 24,425 8.1% $85,093 1,978
57 Hollywood 5,397 6.5% $77,191 351
58 Goose Creek 45,858 7.2% $84,041 3,324
59 Hilton Head Island 37,708 7.6% $93,694 2,877
60 Simpsonville 24,133 6.4% $79,937 1,546
61 Bluffton 29,375 5.5% $99,575 1,603
62 Mount Pleasant 90,945 5.8% $115,167 5,283
63 James Island 11,689 4.1% $95,364 482
64 Fort Mill 26,022 4.5% $128,125 1,184
65 Tega Cay 12,816 0.4% $140,172 48
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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