The 10 Worst Places To Live In South Carolina For 2023

The 10 Worst Places To Live In South Carolina For 2023

If you travel about a hour south west of Charlotte, you’ll find the fifth worst place to live in South Carolina. That’s right, little old York, in York County, home to 8,423 people.

This place may have been a nice place to settle down back in its prime, but these days, life in York is absolutely dismal. Like others on our list, York has its share of economic struggles. The unemployment rate is 7.8%, and most folks make way under $41,645 a year. And get this – 1 in 5 residents here don’t even make $10,000 a year.

York also suffers from a crime rate nearly double the national average.

Education in York is a mixed bag, The public schools report every single student here is economically disadvantaged. 1 in 5 adults never finished high school, but the middle and high school have a 16:1 student to teacher ratio – so that’s encouraging.

And, to top it off…there’s just not much to do here besides the York Recreation Complex. For shopping, if you can’t find it at Walmart or Ingles, you won’t find it at all. It’s just a bunch of fast food restaurants for the most part.

Darlington’s crime is nearly in the top 10 in the state of South Carolina, and folks here are struggling to make ends meet. Besides having a good school system, there’s not a lot of upside to living here. Unless you like car racing.

Darlington is world famous for its racetrack, which brings in throngs of NASCAR fans from all over the country. The Bojangles Southern 500 is coming to town in September this year. Lock your cooler if you go. You wouldn’t want to have any beer stolen.

At number 3: Orangeburg, located about right in between Columbia and Charleston over in Orangeburg County on the north fork of the Edisto River. There’s 12,779 people here. Hartsville is a small town that has its share of struggles.

It’s hard to find a job here. 13.0% of people are out of work, and almost 1 in 3 residents live below the poverty line. The median income is a measly $28,597 a year, and the median home value is right around $113,700.

But, like we saw in other places on this list, safety is the real concern in Orangeburg. The town has the 6th highest property crime rate in the state and one of the highest burglary rates. You have a 1 in 11 chance of having your stuff stolen or damaged each year you live in Orangeburg. But, what’s even more concerning is the violent crime. Folks living here have a 1 in 69 chance of being violently attacked.

People complain that there’s not much to do here, there aren’t many restaurant options and everything is geared toward the older generation. But they get an A+ for diversity, the schools aren’t too shabby, and Edisto Memorial Gardens is beautiful if you want to take a walk or have a picnic – and admission is free.

Marion presents itself as a picture of a quaint little town. For the most part, this image matches the fact, right down to the picturesque historic district. But a lot of worry and pain roils below the surface of this otherwise pleasant burg. It ranks as the 4th worst place to live in South Carolina for 2023.

Mostly, crime and poverty mar the otherwise pretty portrait. Just look at the unemployment rate, which sits at 7.9%. Or consider the median income, which hovers at $27,024. Or contemplate a crime rate that tops the U.S. norm by 160%.

At number 5 is Gaffney, a town about an hour from Charlotte. There’s 12,560 people here, and many of them want to get out, but they’re just stuck. Sure, Gaffney may have that small-town charm – Main Street looks cute, and the people here are nice – but there’s little opportunity here.

The unemployment rate in Gaffney is 12.4%, and more than 1 out of every 4 residents lives below the poverty line. Real estate prices are below the state average – where you can get a house for $106,200. Say what you want about low home prices – they’re that low for a reason, people. Here’s an interesting stat- only 7% of people in Gaffney have a 401k.

And for such a teeny town, the crime is really bad. The violent crime rate is higher than the national average. Residents have a 1 in 65 chance of being beaten up or raped.

Visit Chester and you can see Aaron Burr Rock. You know Aaron Burr…he’s the fool who shot Alexander Hamilton in that delightful musical everyone’s always talking about. He’s also a real person, who was once arrested for treason (for reasons unrelated to shooting Hamilton, by the way). In Chester, he tried to escape, an attempt that involved Aaron Burr Rock, which is now situated in the center of town.

Weird thing to brag about, right? Well, Chester doesn’t have much else going for it. This town in the northern part of the state has an unemployment rate of 9.6% and a median income of $31,210. As a result, more than 1 out of every 4 residents lives below the poverty line.

The unemployment rate is a little lower here (6.9%), and the crime is a tad lower here as well, but things in Union aren’t exactly peachy keen. Homes are valued at $85,000, which is 14th lowest in South Carolina.

On a positive note, the teacher-student ratio one of the lowest in Dillon, meaning the public school kids are getting a lot of attention, and hopefully a lot of love, too.

The city of Union doesn’t even have a Facebook page yet.

Lancaster is named after English royalty. Specifically, the moniker comes from the House of Lancaster, one side of the famous clash known as the War of the Roses. Well, despite the gaudy title, you’ll have trouble finding lords and ladies in this community of 8,489 people. To the contrary, the town is mired in unemployment and poverty.

More than a third of Lancaster falls below the poverty line. At the same time, the unemployment rate sits at an astronomical 16.8%. Education is also a problem in the area. With a few exceptions, the local schools score a 5/10 or worse on Great Schools.

Clinton ranks as the 10th worst place to live in South Carolina for 2023, let’s take a look at why.

Clinton experienced a manufacturing boom in the late 19th century, with the introduction of a series of cotton mills. These had all shut down in the early 2000s, however, undermining the area’s economy. What’s left? The number 10 worst place in South Carolina to call home.

With a poverty rate of 26.8%, it’s not hard to see why Clinton makes this list. That comes with a median income of $35,462 and a jobless rate of 10.1%. Along with high unemployment and low wages, the town suffers from a crime rate nearly double the U.S. norm. Inadequate schools and housing also plague the town.