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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-FORT-LAWN-SC · Fort Lawn, SC 1,144 pop · income 26th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fort Lawn
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Lawn on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sebastian · lowest
24,395
Sebastian · lowest
24,395 median HH income
17.4% of the leader · rank #1
Hollis Crossr… · near
54,135
Hollis Crossr… · near
54,135 median HH income
38.6% of the leader · rank #2
Brandon · near
54,138
Brandon · near
54,138 median HH income
38.6% of the leader · rank #3
Tekamah · near
54,139
Tekamah · near
54,139 median HH income
38.6% of the leader · rank #4
Fort Lawn · this city
54,141
Fort Lawn · this city
54,141 median HH income
38.6% of the leader · rank #5
Kingston · near
54,141
Kingston · near
54,141 median HH income
38.6% of the leader · rank #6
Maywood Park · highest
140,357
Maywood Park · highest
140,357 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fort Lawn on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,144.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fort Lawn - the verdict
Nationally, Fort Lawn sits in the 26th percentile for household income and the 9th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
26th
percentile, household income
39th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
9th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Fort Lawn, SC
1,144 people live in Fort Lawn, South Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $54,141 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.0%. Fort Lawn's housing stock carries a median value of $189,000, and the median resident age is 29.8 years. Educational attainment runs 17.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 67.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Fort Lawn's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3688.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 93.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,155 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 70.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fort Lawn's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to housing and income to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fort Lawn, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Fort Lawn?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 92.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.
How far does income reach against housing in Fort Lawn?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Is Fort Lawn growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +45 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.7% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Lawn?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Pelion (1,147 residents, $61,250 income); Beech Island (1,139 residents, $31,996 income); Cottageville (1,154 residents, $68,750 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Hydesville, CA (1,144 residents); Dexter, NM (1,144 residents); Maywood Park, OR (1,144 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fort Lawn?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3688.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 62% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
3688.5
Violent rate
512.3
Property rate
3176.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 13.0% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
F
City profile score · Fort Lawn, SC
33/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B
93.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
13.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$54,141
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
512 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Fort Lawn profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Poverty rate: 28/100 (F) · 13.0%
Household income: 26/100 (F) · $54,141
Bachelor's+ share: 26/100 (F) · 17.0%
Violent crime: 15/100 (F) · 512 /100k
Where Fort Lawn sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fort Lawn's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fort Lawn highlighted among 24 peers.Read the chart values
Fort Lawn, SC (this city): home $189,000, crime 3,689/100k
Independence, VA : home $115,700, crime 2,985/100k
Blue River, CO : home $1,171,900, crime 119/100k
Pelion, SC : home $148,400, crime 7,532/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Fort Lawn compare to other US cities?
Here's how Fort Lawn stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income26% higher than other cities
Home value39% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety9% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just South Carolina and the picture shifts: Fort Lawn ranks #75 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fort Lawn 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 places Fort Lawn near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Lawn ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Lawn only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#181 of 403
55th percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#147 of 404
64th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#223 of 439
49th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#249 of 441
43rd percentile in South Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
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.
Gauge source note
26th percentile nationally for median household income · 9th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fort Lawn's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fort Lawn's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fort Lawn's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$189,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 61% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fort Lawn's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,935 of 15,516
More affordable than 42% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,211 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.5×, Fort Lawn sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,935 of 15,516 and #7,211 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$54,141Fort Lawn, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fort Lawn, SC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fort Lawn, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,144
Median Income
$54,141
Median Home Value
$189,000
Median Age
29.8
Poverty Rate
13.0%
Labor force participation
67.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3688.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
512.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3176.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fort Lawn's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
964 residents
2021
964 residents
2022
964 residents
2023
975 residents
2024
990 residents
2025
1,009 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
92.8%
Carpool
2.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
2.2%
Other
2.2%
Based on 500 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
South Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $224
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Carolina at $224 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are South Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fort Lawn. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
South Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.7 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fort Lawn is $1,155/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a South Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fort Lawn sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fort Lawn compares to similar-size South Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, 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.