Highest Poverty in South Carolina

Top 100 cities ranked by highest poverty

Largest Cities Smallest Cities Most Dense Least Dense Highest Income Lowest Income Lowest Unemployment Highest Unemployment Lowest Poverty Highest Poverty Highest Home Value Most Affordable Highest Rent Lowest Rent Most Educated Youngest Cities Oldest Cities Safest Cities Highest Crime Warmest Cities Coldest Cities Rainiest Cities Driest Cities

All Countries · United States · South Carolina

Highest Poverty — South Carolina

1 Dillon 39.7%

2 Walterboro 30.6%

3 Piedmont 29.8%

4 Cheraw 27.8%

5 Parker 26.4%

6 Darlington 25.4%

7 Clinton 25.3%

8 Chester 24.6%

9 Homeland Park 24.5%

10 Lancaster 24.2%

11 Orangeburg 23.6%

12 St. Andrews 22.8%

13 Marion 22.6%

14 Spartanburg 20.3%

15 Gantt 19.4%

16 Gaffney 19.4%

17 Berea 19.3%

18 Newberry 17.7%

19 Greenwood 17.6%

20 Laurel Bay 17.5%

21 Seneca 17.1%

22 Laurens 17.0%

23 Union 16.7%

24 Anderson 16.4%

25 Red Hill 16.0%

26 Travelers Rest 16.0%

27 Woodfield 15.6%

28 Bennettsville 15.3%

29 Conway 15.1%

30 Columbia 15.0%

31 Beaufort 14.8%

32 Hartsville 14.6%

33 York 13.9%

34 Cayce 13.6%

35 Dentsville 13.4%

36 Hollywood 13.3%

37 Florence 12.9%

38 Central 12.9%

39 Burton 12.6%

40 Sumter 12.1%

41 Myrtle Beach 11.8%

42 Camden 11.6%

43 North Charleston 11.5%

44 Red Bank 11.2%

45 Lake City 11.2%

46 Carolina Forest 10.9%

47 Hanahan 10.7%

48 Ladson 10.6%

49 Lugoff 10.4%

50 Fountain Inn 10.3%

51 Valley Falls 10.0%

52 Aiken 9.8%

53 Easley 9.8%

54 Georgetown 9.6%

55 Oak Grove 9.5%

56 Lake Wylie 9.0%

57 Clover 9.0%

58 Greenville 8.9%

59 Sangaree 8.7%

60 Sans Souci 8.6%

61 Rock Hill 8.2%

62 Garden City 8.2%

63 Taylors 8.1%

64 Lyman 7.9%

65 White Knoll 7.8%

66 Seven Oaks 7.7%

67 West Columbia 7.6%

68 Summerville 7.3%

69 Greer 7.2%

70 Socastee 7.0%

71 Belvedere 6.9%

72 Port Royal 6.8%

73 Litchfield Beach 6.8%

74 Mauldin 6.4%

75 Boiling Springs 6.4%

76 Charleston 6.3%

77 Wade Hampton 6.3%

78 Hilton Head Island 6.2%

79 Irmo 6.1%

80 Powdersville 6.0%

81 Little River 5.9%

82 Centerville 5.8%

83 Hardeeville 5.4%

84 Lexington 5.1%

85 Forest Acres 5.0%

86 Forestbrook 4.8%

87 Goose Creek 4.6%

88 Simpsonville 4.5%

89 North Myrtle Beach 4.4%

90 James Island 4.0%

91 Clemson 3.8%

92 Mount Pleasant 3.7%

93 Moncks Corner 3.5%

94 Welcome 3.3%

95 Bluffton 3.1%

96 Blythewood 3.1%

97 North Augusta 2.8%

98 Fort Mill 2.3%

99 Murrells Inlet 2.0%

100 Tega Cay 0.7%

Cities with the highest poverty rates in South Carolina face deep economic challenges affecting a significant portion of their population. Dillon has a poverty rate of 39.7%.

High poverty rates impact communities in multiple ways: reduced access to healthcare and healthy food, lower educational outcomes, higher crime rates, and deteriorating infrastructure. These challenges are interconnected and require comprehensive solutions.

Addressing poverty in these cities requires a multi-pronged approach including economic development, affordable housing, quality education, healthcare access, and workforce training programs targeting underserved populations.

Did You Know?

1. In Dillon, 39.7% of residents — roughly 1 in 3 people — live below the poverty line.
2. Child poverty rates in these cities are often even higher than the overall rate, sometimes exceeding 40%.
3. Poverty is measured by household income relative to family size — the threshold varies from $15,060 for an individual to $31,200 for a family of four.

Browse Rankings by Region

United States — By Region

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

By Country

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belarus Belgium Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia Ethiopia Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guadeloupe Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand The Netherlands Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe