City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Dale, SC

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Dale - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

622
Residents
$1,816
Median rent (state)

Dale - the verdict

Dale has 622 residents in South Carolina. Source: Census ACS.

76th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Dale, SC

Dale is a small town in South Carolina, home to 622 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 66.2 years. About 11.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 18.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts South Carolina at 93.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,816 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts South Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $224 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 97.1 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).

Population

622 residents

Census ACS 2023 - South Carolina

Median Household Income

N/A /yr

Poverty 45.1%

Cost of Living Index (state)

93.7 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average

How does Dale compare to other US cities?

Where Dale sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Median rent 76% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Dale against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

South Carolina-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent is Dale's strongest outlier among South Carolina cities

Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Dale ranks #1 - the 97th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Dale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
97th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#16 of 439
96th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#339 of 441
23rd percentile in South Carolina

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

Income distribution context

Median household income is not available for Dale in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 11.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 45.1%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 18.8%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
622
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
66.2
Poverty Rate
45.1%
Labor force participation
18.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
11.0%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
60.6%
Carpool
30.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
8.7%

Based on 104 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for South Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$52
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$224
estimated/month

Estimates reflect South Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a South Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Dale sits in

Cost of Living Index
93.7
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,816/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
97.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in South Carolina

Daufuskie Island
636 people
Cash
645 people
Summit
596 people
Pine Ridge
595 people
Clio
591 people
Harleyville
653 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Dale's 622 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Cleveland, MN
622 people
Karlstad, MN
622 people
Hatley, MS
622 people
Bassett, NE
622 people
Dorchester, NE
622 people
Fish Springs, NV
622 people

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Dale, SC Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Dale, SC - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 9.2% 89.2% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.0% White 9.2% Black or African American 89.2% Asian 0.0% American Indian 0.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 0.0% Two or more races 1.6% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Dale compares to nearby South Carolina cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Dale (this city) 622 N/A
Daufuskie Island 636 $153,821
Cash 645 N/A
Summit 596 $76,250
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Dale, SC?

What is the population of Dale, SC? +

Dale, SC has a population of 622 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the cost of living in Dale? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Dale; the closest available measure is the South Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 93.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within South Carolina vary by metro area.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.