Safest Places to Live in South Carolina of March 2024

ElitePersonalFinance
Last Update: March 11, 2023 Living

South Carolina is located on the East Coast of the United States, in its southeastern part. It borders Georgia to the south and west and its sister, North Carolina, to the north.

South Carolina is the 23rd most populous state globally, being home to around 5 million Americans. The state’s capital is Columbia; Charleston is the largest city (around 135,000 residents), the greatest metropolitan area in Greenville.

The state was named after King Charles I, who formed the colony. The culture of the state is a mix of colonial, African, and European heritage. South Carolina’s economy has been steadily increasing, reaching an annual growth rate of 3.13% and over $183 billion in 2013.

Ranking Criteria

ElitePersonalFinance extracted the latest data from the FBI crime statistics in the United States. We took violent crime as the main criteria. To get our score, we used this formula:

Crime Score = ( Total Number of Violent Crimes / Population ) * 1,000

This way, safer cities got the lowest score, and those more vulnerable to crimes got higher scores.

The cities that did not report crimes to the FBI and those under 3,000 residents were not included in the list.

30 Safest Places in South Carolina of March 2024

Rank:City:Population:Total Number of Crimes:Crime Score:
1Central5 38010,19
2Isle of Palms4 36610,23
3Tega Cay11 32250,44
4Woodruff4 35630,69
5Travelers Rest5 33950,94
6Fort Mill21 219221,04
7Mount Pleasant92 4481051,14
8Walhalla4 38471,60
9Clemson17 547321,82
10Bluffton24 812461,85
11Simpsonville23 682461,94
12Duncan3 57371,96
13Hanahan26 941552,04
14Mauldin25 453572,24
15North Augusta23 875552,30
16Saluda3 64192,47
17Clover6 575192,89
18Port Royal13 368402,99
19Irmo12 516393,12
20Honea Path3 810123,15
21Lexington22 160723,25
22Belton4 434153,38
23Summerville52 8861863,52
24Charleston138 2545163,73
25Walterboro5 429213,87
26North Myrtle Beach16 942714,19
27Conway26 1271114,25
28Beaufort13 485584,30
29Greer32 9761434,34
30Fountain Inn10 375454,34

Crime Score in All Cities in South Carolina of March 2024

If your city didn’t make our list, you could see our full list of South Carolina cities.

We can’t compare crime rates in small and large cities. That’s why ElitePersonalFinance made a detailed analysis and narrowed the results according to population segments:

  • Under 3,000 Residents
  • 3,000 – 10,000 Residents
  • 10,000 – 30,000 Residents
  • Over 30,000 Residents

(Other sites don’t include places with under 3,000 residents, but we included them.)

These are the results that we got:

Under 3,000 Residents

Rank:City:Population:Total Number of Crimes:Crime Score:
1Salem15200,00
2West Union32500,00
3Cameron39600,00
4Society Hill53300,00
5Quinby92700,00
6Due West1 24000,00
7Burnettown2 75110,36
8Wellford2 69710,37
9Sullivans Island1 93810,52
10Johnsonville1 49410,67
11South Congaree2 48320,81
12Ninety Six2 03920,98
13Branchville95211,05
14Wagener83811,19
15Inman2 40431,25
16Cowpens2 40841,66
17Chapin1 65331,81
18Whitmire1 46932,04
19Jackson1 79242,23
20Gaston1 69242,36
21Jonesville83422,40
22Edisto Beach40612,46
23Chesterfield1 41542,83
24Pelion70422,84
25Aynor99433,02
26Clio66023,03
27Iva1 31143,05
28Chesnee94833,16
29Prosperity1 21943,28
30Pacolet2 50293,60
31Elgin1 61263,72
32Great Falls1 87573,73
33Westminster2 570103,89
34Springdale2 753114,00
35McCormick2 298104,35
36Scranton86444,63
37St. Matthews1 90094,74
38Hemingway40025,00
39Swansea95955,21
40Coward76745,22
41Blacksburg1 883105,31
42Pamplico1 22175,73
43Williston2 907175,85
44Ehrhardt48136,24
45Lamar93766,40
46Eutawville29226,85
47Calhoun Falls1 912147,32
48Ridge Spring75867,92
49Holly Hill1 181108,47
50New Ellenton2 145209,32
51Summerton93999,58
52St. Stephen1 809189,95
53Hampton2 4992610,40
54Blackville2 1942310,48
55Denmark2 9243110,60
56Ware Shoals2 1562310,67
57Jamestown83112,05
58Loris2 7403412,41
59McColl1 9812814,13
60Latta1 2882015,53
61Bowman9041617,70
62Yemassee9541717,82
63Estill1 8553719,95
64Allendale2 9247625,99
65Bishopville2 9278629,38

3,000 – 10,000 Residents

Rank:City:Population:Total Number of Crimes:Crime Score:
1Central5 38010,19
2Isle of Palms4 36610,23
3Woodruff4 35630,69
4Travelers Rest5 33950,94
5Walhalla4 38471,60
6Duncan3 57371,96
7Saluda3 64192,47
8Clover6 575192,89
9Honea Path3 810123,15
10Belton4 434153,38
11Walterboro5 429213,87
12Bamberg3 195165,01
13Kingstree3 026175,62
14Seneca8 525505,87
15Pickens3 171195,99
16Lyman3 661246,56
17Liberty3 152216,66
18Bennettsville7 726536,86
19Winnsboro3 165237,27
20Williamston4 249317,30
21Hardeeville7 075537,49
22Clinton8 412667,85
23York8 294678,08
24Marion6 373558,63
25Laurens8 823809,07
26Abbeville5 017479,37
27Mullins4 290419,56
28Union7 694769,88
29Cheraw5 5896110,91
30Batesburg-Leesville5 3896111,32
31Camden7 2428611,88
32Georgetown8 73310712,25
33Hartsville7 52410814,35
34Darlington5 8868714,78
35Manning3 9215814,79
36Chester5 3688215,28
37Lake City6 54111217,12
38Barnwell4 3218920,60

10,000 – 30,000 Residents

Rank:City:Population:Total Number of Crimes:Crime Score:
1Tega Cay11 32250,44
2Fort Mill21 219221,04
3Clemson17 547321,82
4Bluffton24 812461,85
5Simpsonville23 682461,94
6Hanahan26 941552,04
7Mauldin25 453572,24
8North Augusta23 875552,30
9Port Royal13 368402,99
10Irmo12 516393,12
11Lexington22 160723,25
12North Myrtle Beach16 942714,19
13Conway26 1271114,25
14Beaufort13 485584,30
15Fountain Inn10 375454,34
16Easley21 390984,58
17Moncks Corner11 986554,59
18Forest Acres10 320646,20
19Newberry10 333726,97
20West Columbia17 9861277,06
21Gaffney12 5281028,14
22Cayce14 2111389,71
23Greenwood23 42735014,94

Over 30,000 Residents

Rank:City:Population:Total Number of Crimes:Crime Score:
1Mount Pleasant92 4481051,14
2Summerville52 8861863,52
3Charleston138 2545163,73
4Greer32 9761434,34
5Aiken30 9221785,76
6Greenville69 8304025,76
7Rock Hill75 3424986,61
8Columbia133 7901 0377,75
9North Charleston115 3121 1149,66
10Sumter39 54641810,57
11Spartanburg37 75444811,87
12Florence37 64044711,88
13Myrtle Beach34 86041511,90

How safe do you feel?

Is your city safe enough? Are you worried because of the crime rate in your town? Do you have any thoughts on safety levels in the country?

If you want to share anything, feel free to leave a comment. That way, you can help us understand your perspective better.

Thank you!

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