The 10 Snobbiest Places In South Carolina For 2023


The Snobbiest places in South Carolina are Tega Cay and Mount Pleasant for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

There are all types when it comes to being a snob in South Carolina. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobsas in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).

How can we tell which South Carolina cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.

We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in South Carolina. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.

After analyzing 64 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of South Carolina.

The South Carolinian in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.

Don’t freak out.

What’s the snobbiest place in South Carolina? The snobbiest place in South Carolina is Tega Cay based on the data. If we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.

The most laid back? That would be Chester.

We’re not so full of ourselves as to make this ranking up from nowhere. So here’s a look at the top ten and more on how we did it. And if you’re curious, South Carolina is the 39th snobbiest in the United States.

For more South Carolina reading, check out:


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


The 10 Snobbiest Places In South Carolina For 2023

Tega Cay, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10
Population: 12,336
% Highly Educated: 65.0%
Median Income: $130,571
Median Home Price: $394,500
More on Tega Cay:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Mount Pleasant, SC

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10
Population: 88,900
% Highly Educated: 65.0%
Median Income: $106,216
Median Home Price: $499,600
More on Mount Pleasant:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Hilton Head Island, SC

Source: Wikipedia User MoodyGroove of English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10
Population: 38,068
% Highly Educated: 52.0%
Median Income: $87,884
Median Home Price: $520,700
More on Hilton Head Island:  Cost Of Living

Fort Mill, SC

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

9
/10
Population: 24,069
% Highly Educated: 54.0%
Median Income: $120,665
Median Home Price: $340,500
More on Fort Mill:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Charleston, SC

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

8
/10
Population: 147,928
% Highly Educated: 56.0%
Median Income: $76,556
Median Home Price: $369,500
More on Charleston:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

James Island, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 11,618
% Highly Educated: 51.0%
Median Income: $87,615
Median Home Price: $355,400
More on James Island:  Cost Of Living

Bluffton, SC

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

9
/10
Population: 27,596
% Highly Educated: 47.0%
Median Income: $89,245
Median Home Price: $336,100
More on Bluffton:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Hardeeville, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 7,228
% Highly Educated: 43.0%
Median Income: $66,672
Median Home Price: $381,300
More on Hardeeville:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Greenville, SC

Source: Wikipedia User JAG from Greenville, SC, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10
Population: 69,725
% Highly Educated: 53.0%
Median Income: $60,388
Median Home Price: $349,300
More on Greenville:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Lexington, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10
Population: 23,068
% Highly Educated: 47.0%
Median Income: $73,785
Median Home Price: $208,600
More on Lexington:  Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Methodology: How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Palmetto State

Do you think wed just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.

We gathered up all of the places in South Carolina with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 64 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, its not a word. English snob.):

  • Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
  • Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
  • Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)

Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:

  • Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
  • Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)

From there, we ranked each of our 64 places in each category with scores from one to 64. We then averaged each places ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in South Carolina. So lets all flip a table in honor of Tega Cay (with our pinkies up, of course.)

Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, lets remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.

And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.

There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse

When it comes to snobbery, these places in South Carolina are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the most laid back places in South Carolina, according to science:

  1. Chester
  2. Bennettsville
  3. Union

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Table: The Snobbiest Cities In South Carolina For 2023

Rank City Population
1 Tega Cay, SC 12,336
2 Mount Pleasant, SC 88,900
3 Hilton Head Island, SC 38,068
4 Fort Mill, SC 24,069
5 Charleston, SC 147,928
6 James Island, SC 11,618
7 Bluffton, SC 27,596
8 Hardeeville, SC 7,228
9 Greenville, SC 69,725
10 Lexington, SC 23,068
11 Hanahan, SC 20,381
12 Forest Acres, SC 10,621
13 Hollywood, SC 5,319
14 Clemson, SC 17,238
15 North Myrtle Beach, SC 18,502
16 Port Royal, SC 12,734
17 Simpsonville, SC 23,190
18 Greer, SC 35,151
19 Irmo, SC 11,581
20 Aiken, SC 31,516
21 Goose Creek, SC 44,502
22 North Augusta, SC 24,013
23 Beaufort, SC 12,899
24 Mauldin, SC 24,735
25 Summerville, SC 50,318
26 Columbia, SC 137,276
27 Moncks Corner, SC 12,685
28 Lyman, SC 5,841
29 Camden, SC 7,666
30 Rock Hill, SC 72,883
31 Myrtle Beach, SC 35,116
32 Fountain Inn, SC 10,237
33 Travelers Rest, SC 7,670
34 Easley, SC 22,643
35 North Charleston, SC 114,542
36 West Columbia, SC 17,265
37 Florence, SC 39,816
38 Cayce, SC 13,637
39 Central, SC 5,229
40 Clover, SC 6,566
41 Seneca, SC 8,734
42 Spartanburg, SC 37,990
43 Georgetown, SC 8,435
44 Hartsville, SC 7,565
45 Conway, SC 22,001
46 Sumter, SC 42,920
47 Clinton, SC 7,753
48 Anderson, SC 28,796
49 York, SC 8,423
50 Laurens, SC 9,251
51 Walterboro, SC 5,514
52 Orangeburg, SC 12,779
53 Newberry, SC 10,496
54 Lancaster, SC 8,489
55 Batesburg-Leesville, SC 5,322
56 Dillon, SC 6,354
57 Darlington, SC 6,153
58 Cheraw, SC 5,090
59 Greenwood, SC 22,363
60 Marion, SC 6,472
61 Gaffney, SC 12,560
62 Union, SC 8,119
63 Bennettsville, SC 7,306
64 Chester, SC 5,283
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

8 thoughts on “The 10 Snobbiest Places In South Carolina For 2023

  1. Hilton Head Islanders are not snobby. For as long as I’ve lived here (26 years and formerly from the #1 snobby city of Charleston)it is the tourists that play it up on the snobby side. They feel like they are visiting the Holy Land from their states of Ohio and Michigan. They even make the Islanders feel like they are the tourists and we are invading their private land. So, NO, HHI is not snobby. We are down right nice!

  2. North Myrtle Beach is so snobby because its full of North Carolina people. And you KNOW how snobby that state is. Also, Murrells Inlet is known locally as the little fishing town with a big drinking problem. I would say that Pawleys Island is a whole lot more snobby than MI.

  3. I am not offended by the “snob” term as described but do believe the information is flawed! As Lexington, SC was left off the list. With the current population, I am pretty sure (per capita) it would have to be in the top ten! 😉

  4. Whoever wrote this article is confusing being a snob, with being bourgeois, and with being an aristocrat. Particularly in a state such as South Carolina where social position has historically been determined by blood and not by art galleries or theatres. Some very middle class people economically go to the Saint Cecilia’s ball, which by many opinions is the most aristocratic debutante ball in the US because social position there has nothing to do with money. The bluest blood in SC is not the richest. The most aristocratic and the richest are not necessarily the snobbiest either. I would say the snobbiest places in South Carolina are Charleston, Beaufort, Georgetown, and Camden.

  5. Why would you say the snobbiest people are Charleston, Beaufort, Georgetown and Camden by your standards? Isn’t acting like you’re “aristocratic” snobby by definition, and being wealthy isn’t necessarily the same as being snobby? What is snobby by your definition…

  6. I don’t think snobby is the right word to use. The prices to live in an area vary and Hilton Head is only at the top of the list because it is an island with beautiful beaches. Naturally housing prices are going to be higher there. Also, just because people enjoy the arts (theater and art galleries) does not mean they are snobby. I am an arts student, so frankly, it is quite insulting that you assume that art-lovers are all snobs. Finally, just because people have a college education does not mean they are snobs. What is your definition of the word snob?

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