State profile · SC

Largest Cities in South Carolina

Ranked by resident population across 441 tracked cities and towns in South Carolina, using Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). This compares cities and Census-designated places, not metropolitan areas, and carries the same rows into the chart, table, and downloadable CSV below.

441
Cities
2.6M
Combined city pop.
$58,471
Avg median income
16.1%
Avg poverty rate

Data updated August 2026

The headline finding

Charleston is the largest of 441 tracked cities in South Carolina, which ranks #45 of 52 nationally on avg median income.

Charleston
largest tracked city (152,014 people)
#45
national rank, avg median income
441
cities tracked in this state

Every figure here is read live from the same table rendered below.

86% of South Carolina's 441 tracked cities are small towns under 10,000 people -- none crosses the 1-million-resident mark.

South Carolina's city-size mix

How the tracked cities and towns split by resident population

tracked cities

What this shows Small towns under 10,000 residents are the largest group in PlainCities' South Carolina coverage, with 379 of 441 tracked places. This is a count of profiled places, not a share of the state's population.

Source Derived from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023) As of 2023
How we calculate this mix & the national home-value percentile below

Every tracked city in South Carolina is bucketed by population: small town under 10,000; mid-size 10,000–99,999; large 100,000–999,999; megacity 1,000,000+. The national home-value comparison below plots South Carolina's average tracked-city home value against all 52 US states/territories, ranked the same way as the per-city percentiles: the state's percentile is the share of states with a lower average home value. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

Largest cities in South Carolina

By population, hover or tap a bar for income detail

residents

What this shows Charleston, SC is the most populous city profiled in South Carolina; the top 100 rows are listed below and the complete 441-row record is available as a CSV.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023) As of 2023

How South Carolina ranks nationally

Avg median income

$58,471

#45 of 52 · highest income

Avg home value

$202,670

#32 of 52 · highest values

Avg poverty rate

16.1%

#48 of 52 · lowest poverty

Tracked cities

441

#28 of 52 · most tracked cities

South Carolina ranks #45 of 52 nationally on average median income and #48 of 52 on average poverty rate, derived live by comparing it against every other tracked state. Averages are computed only across the cities PlainCities tracks in each state, not full state populations.

How South Carolina's home values compare nationally

Average tracked-city home value vs. all 52 US states/territories

$202,670 Among the most affordable more affordable than 62% of 52 US states

Show national distribution $0–$50,000: 0 US states (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$100,000: 0 US states (0%). Below this entry. $100,000–$150,000: 9 US states (17%). Below this entry. $150,000–$200,000: 11 US states (21%). Below this entry. $200,000–$250,000: 11 US states (21%). This entry sits in this band. $250,000–$300,000: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. $300,000–$350,000: 3 US states (6%). Above this entry. $350,000–$400,000: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. $400,000–$450,000: 3 US states (6%). Above this entry. $450,000–$500,000: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. $500,000–$550,000: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. $550,000–$600,000: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. $600,000–$650,000: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. $650,000–$700,000: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. $700,000–$750,000: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. $750,000–$800,000: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. South Carolina $0 $800,000 every US state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $50K-wide band; taller bars hold more US states. 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

Largest cities in South Carolina

Showing the 100 most-populous tracked places, ordered by population. Download the CSV for every one of the 441 city records and their source-backed fields.

#CityPopulation
1Charleston152,014
2Columbia138,019
3North Charleston117,460
4Mount Pleasant92,662
5Rock Hill74,769
6Greenville71,755
7Summerville51,262
8Goose Creek46,964
9Sumter43,065
10Florence40,205
11Greer39,191
12Spartanburg38,578
13Hilton Head Island37,805
14Myrtle Beach37,214
15Aiken32,334
16Bluffton31,323
17Anderson29,563
18Fort Mill28,281
19Carolina Forest26,373
20Conway26,082
21Mauldin25,985
22Simpsonville25,125
23North Augusta24,928
24Socastee24,629
25Lexington24,132
26Easley23,942
27Taylors23,686
28Greenwood22,527
29Hanahan21,119
30St. Andrews20,953
31Wade Hampton20,703
32North Myrtle Beach19,343
33Five Forks19,093
34Clemson17,759
35West Columbia17,723
36Berea16,642
37Red Hill16,480
38Ladson16,261
39Seven Oaks15,990
40Dentsville15,396
41Lake Wylie15,177
42Gantt15,057
43Port Royal15,047
44Moncks Corner14,362
45Cayce13,718
46Beaufort13,660
47Tega Cay13,267
48Orangeburg13,189
49Gaffney12,612
50Boiling Springs12,609
51Parker12,564
52Oak Grove12,031
53Irmo11,799
54James Island11,738
55Powdersville11,321
56Fountain Inn11,307
57Red Bank10,950
58Garden10,820
59Newberry10,733
60Forest Acres10,491
61Little River10,457
62Murrells Inlet10,087
63Woodfield9,901
64Litchfield Beach9,544
65Lugoff9,475
66Laurens9,307
67Hardeeville9,293
68Seneca8,910
69Lancaster8,738
70York8,697
71Sangaree8,517
72Georgetown8,511
73Sans Souci8,199
74Travelers Rest8,137
75Union8,047
76Camden8,025
77White Knoll7,865
78Clinton7,624
79Forestbrook7,450
80Welcome7,439
81Hartsville7,422
82Valley Falls7,249
83Burton7,132
84Lake Murray of Richland7,057
85Clover7,013
86Homeland Park6,944
87Centerville6,860
88Bennettsville6,798
89Clemson University6,434
90Dillon6,406
91Marion6,338
92Lyman6,317
93Darlington6,128
94Lake City6,032
95Piedmont5,786
96Laurel Bay5,627
97Walterboro5,490
98Belvedere5,458
99Hollywood5,330
100Blythewood5,309

What to do with South Carolina's city data

441 cities is a lot to browse, here's where to start.

  • Charleston is South Carolina's largest tracked city by population, start there if you want the fullest picture of a major SC metro. Charleston profile
  • Kiawah Island has the highest median household income of any tracked city in South Carolina, a different lens than population size alone. Kiawah Island profile
  • See how South Carolina's cities stack up nationally, not just against each other. National rankings

City counts and averages on this page cover only the 441 places with sufficient Census ACS data, smaller towns below the reporting threshold are not included.

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

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide similar states

Other states closest to South Carolina on two ACS statewide axes: tracked-city population sum and mean of city median household incomes. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a claim that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar statewide population

Nearest 50-state peers by ACS population of tracked cities. This state: 2,601,525.

4 peers

Similar mean household income

Nearest peers by mean of city median household incomes. This state: $58,471. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

National city rankings →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cities does PlainCities track in South Carolina?

PlainCities profiles 441 cities and towns in South Carolina, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the largest city in South Carolina?

Charleston is the largest tracked city in South Carolina, with a population of 152,014.

What is the average household income in South Carolina?

Across the 441 tracked cities in South Carolina, the average median household income is $58,471. Individual cities vary widely, with Kiawah Island reporting the highest median income at $236,607.

What is the average poverty rate in South Carolina?

The average poverty rate across South Carolina's tracked cities is 16.1%, based on Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Embed this widget

Preview card with a baked-in link back to PlainCities. Production sends frame-ancestors 'none', so third-party iframes are blocked, open the preview URL or link the canonical page when republishing.

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.