Cities with highest divorce rate in South Carolina research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze South Carolina’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in South Carolina based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in South Carolina is Bennettsville based on the most recent Census data.
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Bennettsville is 9.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in South Carolina is Bluffton.
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Bluffton is 0.0% Divorced.
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South Carolina is 5.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 211,849 people living in South Carolina over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2026.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Palmetto State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in South Carolina with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In South Carolina With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in South Carolina with the highest divorce rate? That would be Bennettsville, with 9.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall South Carolina divorce rate? According to the 2020-2024 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in South Carolina is 5.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in South Carolina.
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina
- Best Places To Live In South Carolina
- Safest Places In South Carolina
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In South Carolina For 2026
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Population: 7,751
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 558
Median Income: $37,115
More on Bennettsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 9,336
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 672
Median Income: $49,246
More on Laurens: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,079
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 581
Median Income: $31,914
More on Union: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 12,596
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 806
Median Income: $41,089
More on Gaffney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 7,419
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 474
Median Income: $49,272
More on Hartsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,921
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 570
Median Income: $46,311
More on Lancaster: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,354
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 406
Median Income: $35,891
More on Dillon: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 6,120
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 391
Median Income: $33,952
More on Darlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 40,408
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 2,586
Median Income: $56,143
More on Florence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 5,218
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 333
Median Income: $46,138
More on Chester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
How We Determined The Places In South Carolina That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 64 places in South Carolina with a population of over 5,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of South Carolina the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Bennettsville.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Bluffton, the city with the lowest divorce rate in South Carolina.
We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in South Carolina with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In South Carolina After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In South Carolina: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Palmetto State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in South Carolina are Bennettsville, Laurens, Union, Gaffney, Hartsville, Lancaster, Dillon, Darlington, Florence, and Chester.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in South Carolina could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina
- Best Places To Live In South Carolina
- Safest Places In South Carolina
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In South Carolina
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bennettsville, SC | 7,751 | 558 | 9.0% |
| 2 | Laurens, SC | 9,336 | 672 | 9.0% |
| 3 | Union, SC | 8,079 | 581 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Gaffney, SC | 12,596 | 806 | 8.0% |
| 5 | Hartsville, SC | 7,419 | 474 | 8.0% |
| 6 | Lancaster, SC | 8,921 | 570 | 8.0% |
| 7 | Dillon, SC | 6,354 | 406 | 8.0% |
| 8 | Darlington, SC | 6,120 | 391 | 8.0% |
| 9 | Florence, SC | 40,408 | 2,586 | 8.0% |
| 10 | Chester, SC | 5,218 | 333 | 8.0% |
| 11 | Seneca, SC | 8,993 | 575 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Marion, SC | 6,206 | 347 | 7.0% |
| 13 | West Columbia, SC | 17,963 | 1,005 | 7.0% |
| 14 | Camden, SC | 8,267 | 462 | 7.0% |
| 15 | Lexington, SC | 24,585 | 1,376 | 7.0% |
| 16 | Sumter, SC | 43,053 | 2,410 | 7.0% |
| 17 | Lake City, SC | 5,988 | 335 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Cayce, SC | 13,741 | 769 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Hollywood, SC | 5,382 | 301 | 7.0% |
| 20 | Spartanburg, SC | 38,910 | 2,178 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Georgetown, SC | 8,565 | 479 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Irmo, SC | 11,813 | 567 | 6.0% |
| 23 | Forest Acres, SC | 10,530 | 505 | 6.0% |
| 24 | North Charleston, SC | 119,913 | 5,755 | 6.0% |
| 25 | Walterboro, SC | 5,480 | 263 | 6.0% |
| 26 | Greenwood, SC | 22,536 | 1,081 | 6.0% |
| 27 | York, SC | 8,969 | 430 | 6.0% |
| 28 | Anderson, SC | 30,051 | 1,442 | 6.0% |
| 29 | Fountain Inn, SC | 12,020 | 576 | 6.0% |
| 30 | Rock Hill, SC | 75,259 | 3,010 | 5.0% |
| 31 | Orangeburg, SC | 13,253 | 530 | 5.0% |
| 32 | Newberry, SC | 10,790 | 431 | 5.0% |
| 33 | Greer, SC | 41,536 | 1,661 | 5.0% |
| 34 | Easley, SC | 24,841 | 993 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Moncks Corner, SC | 15,485 | 619 | 5.0% |
| 36 | Hanahan, SC | 21,452 | 686 | 4.0% |
| 37 | Beaufort, SC | 13,747 | 439 | 4.0% |
| 38 | Charleston, SC | 154,338 | 4,938 | 4.0% |
| 39 | Summerville, SC | 51,654 | 1,652 | 4.0% |
| 40 | Clinton, SC | 7,676 | 245 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Simpsonville, SC | 26,144 | 836 | 4.0% |
| 42 | Columbia, SC | 139,643 | 4,468 | 4.0% |
| 43 | Greenville, SC | 72,935 | 2,333 | 4.0% |
| 44 | Lyman, SC | 6,547 | 157 | 3.0% |
| 45 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 38,371 | 920 | 3.0% |
| 46 | Goose Creek, SC | 48,078 | 1,153 | 3.0% |
| 47 | Mount Pleasant, SC | 93,993 | 2,255 | 3.0% |
| 48 | Aiken, SC | 32,521 | 780 | 3.0% |
| 49 | North Augusta, SC | 25,653 | 615 | 3.0% |
| 50 | North Myrtle Beach, SC | 19,855 | 476 | 3.0% |
| 51 | Clemson, SC | 18,072 | 433 | 3.0% |
| 52 | Clover, SC | 7,234 | 173 | 3.0% |
| 53 | Conway, SC | 27,263 | 654 | 3.0% |
| 54 | James Island, SC | 12,198 | 292 | 3.0% |
| 55 | Blythewood, SC | 5,731 | 91 | 2.0% |
| 56 | Hardeeville, SC | 10,871 | 173 | 2.0% |
| 57 | Travelers Rest, SC | 8,370 | 133 | 2.0% |
| 58 | Fort Mill, SC | 30,775 | 492 | 2.0% |
| 59 | Mauldin, SC | 27,055 | 432 | 2.0% |
| 60 | Central, SC | 5,320 | 85 | 2.0% |
| 61 | Port Royal, SC | 15,579 | 124 | 1.0% |
| 62 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 37,911 | 303 | 1.0% |
| 63 | Tega Cay, SC | 13,615 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 64 | Bluffton, SC | 33,157 | 0 | 0.0% |