These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In South Carolina

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in South Carolina?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in South Carolina – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which South Carolina cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Palmetto State:

1. Allendale
2. Marion
3. Andrews (Photos)
4. Springdale
5. Chester (Photos)
6. Lancaster (Photos)
7. Brookdale
8. Walterboro (Photos)
9. Johnston (Photos)
10. Parker

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Five Forks is the happiest place in South Carolina.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In South Carolina

In order to rank the unhappiest places in South Carolina, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in South Carolina with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 117 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In South Carolina’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Allendale

Population: 3,328
People Who Own Their Home: 49.44%
Married Adults: 24.77%

2. Marion

Population: 6,833
People Who Own Their Home: 38.9%
Married Adults: 33.04%

3. Andrews

Population: 2,839
People Who Own Their Home: 43.02%
Married Adults: 35.66%

4. Springdale

Population: 2,216
People Who Own Their Home: 33.43%
Married Adults: 33.86%

5. Chester

Population: 5,543
People Who Own Their Home: 43.29%
Married Adults: 25.77%

6. Lancaster

Population: 8,801
People Who Own Their Home: 40.07%
Married Adults: 31.3%

7. Brookdale

Population: 4,271
People Who Own Their Home: 36.1%
Married Adults: 22.34%

8. Walterboro

Population: 5,339
People Who Own Their Home: 41.14%
Married Adults: 22.85%

9. Johnston

Population: 2,216
People Who Own Their Home: 47.11%
Married Adults: 31.03%

10. Parker

Population: 11,987
People Who Own Their Home: 43.1%
Married Adults: 40.97%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more South Carolina reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Poorest Places In South Carolina
• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In South Carolina
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In South Carolina

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In South Carolina

City	Rank	People Who Own Their Home
Allendale	1	49.44%
Marion	2	38.9%
Andrews	3	43.02%
Springdale	4	33.43%
Chester	5	43.29%
Lancaster	6	40.07%
Brookdale	7	36.1%
Walterboro	8	41.14%
Johnston	9	47.11%
Parker	10	43.1%
Greenwood	11	38.62%
Dillon	12	42.14%
Orangeburg	13	36.61%
Darlington	14	43.02%
Arcadia	15	32.86%
Gantt	16	44.51%
Homeland Park	17	49.38%
Sans Souci	18	41.08%
Cheraw	19	35.73%
Lake City	20	44.57%
Clinton	21	36.46%
North Charleston	22	39.85%
Ridgeland	23	48.66%
Abbeville	24	56.55%
Bennettsville	25	39.63%
Hopkins	26	63.32%
Central	27	16.99%
York	28	44.02%
Batesburg-Leesville	29	52.44%
Hartsville	30	41.42%
Laurens	31	45.45%
Dentsville	32	30.15%
Pendleton	33	45.17%
Berea	34	53.37%
Valley Falls	35	38.1%
Westminster	36	56.74%
Welcome	37	55.09%
Myrtle Beach	38	27.1%
Union	39	45.83%
Georgetown	40	48.15%
Anderson	41	42.26%
Spartanburg	42	42.32%
Rock Hill	43	45.34%
Clearwater	44	52.01%
Conway	45	48.95%
Moncks Corner	46	59.99%
Clover	47	54.63%
Piedmont	48	58.73%
Williston	49	61.98%
Elgin	50	70.16%
Walhalla	51	43.74%
Woodfield	52	46.57%
Socastee	53	47.26%
Columbia	54	39.29%
Burton	55	50.57%
Gaffney	56	45.5%
Newberry	57	39.57%
Belvedere	58	73.49%
Greenville	59	37.64%
West Columbia	60	48.19%
Sumter	61	43.89%
Clemson	62	36.65%
Seneca	63	53.01%
Duncan	64	38.87%
North Myrtle Beach	65	19.04%
Liberty	66	68.55%
Ladson	67	66.38%
Hampton	68	64.64%
Red Hill	69	57.79%
Belton	70	56.5%
Charleston	71	45.92%
Sangaree	72	65.15%
Cayce	73	56.99%
Bluffton	74	61.43%
Easley	75	57.52%
Garden City	76	35.66%
Florence	77	51.74%
Camden	78	59.07%
Hanahan	79	54.58%
Greer	80	52.51%
Summerville	81	58.35%
Red Bank	82	74.96%
Little River	83	46.72%
Lugoff	84	71.97%
Murrells Inlet	85	58.83%
Williamston	86	63.11%
Laurel Bay	87	16.42%
Port Royal	88	29.84%
Beaufort	89	43.43%
Taylors	90	64.67%
Fountain Inn	91	62.89%
Hilton Head Island	92	36.22%
Aiken	93	59.63%
Irmo	94	73.9%
Seven Oaks	95	53.0%
Lexington	96	55.35%
North Augusta	97	60.14%
Powdersville	98	70.87%
Springdale	99	64.46%
Lake Wylie	100	68.39%
Goose Creek	101	60.68%
Wade Hampton	102	56.26%
Hollywood	103	76.6%
Fort Mill	104	58.7%
Oak Grove	105	64.61%
Forest Acres	106	60.96%
Simpsonville	107	59.25%
Mauldin	108	60.75%
Lakewood	109	62.47%
Lyman	110	66.67%
Northlake	111	66.73%
Centerville	112	76.19%
Boiling Springs	113	71.11%
Tega Cay	114	89.26%
Mount Pleasant	115	66.86%
Newport	116	77.06%
Five Forks	117	88.68%