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Compare towns

Mulberry vs Sumter

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (90.8× in Sumter) and trails (18.5× in Sumter).

M ×
Mulberry, SCA small town of 474South Carolina · 474 people
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Sumter, SCHometown of 69 notable peopleSouth Carolina · 43,053 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

MulberryA small town of 474
Quiet strengthsMulberry doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Mulberry →
SumterHometown of 69 notable people
Famous people69 notable peopleborn in Sumter Outdoors#17 most conserved land in SC20 miles of trails across 16 parks and preserves HistorySettled in 184510 places on the National Register All about Sumter →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Size90.8×
Sumter is the bigger place
Sumter 43,053Mulberry 474
Trails18.5×
Sumter has more miles of trail
Sumter 20.3 miMulberry 1.1 mi
Jobs per worker4.4×
Sumter is more of a job hub
Sumter 1.37Mulberry 0.31
Street grid2.9×
Sumter has the more walkable street grid
Sumter 70.5Mulberry 23.9
Work in town+31 pts
More of Sumter’s workers stay in town
Sumter 31%Mulberry 0%
Average commute12 min
Sumter has the shorter commute
Mulberry 32 minSumter 20 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $320 more a month in Sumter

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Mulberry$870/mo
Typical home $149K (Census) · tax rate 0.73% · Housing →
Sumter$1,190/mo
Typical home $208K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $1,076/mo · Housing →

The difference: $320 a month, about $3,800 a year, between Sumter and Mulberry.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Mulberry and Sumter share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

MulberrySumterMulberrySumter
Mulberry ↔ Sumter4.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
62 Mulberry residents work in Sumter (28.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mulberry →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every South Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–MulberryNot graded D−SumterSafer than 4% of U.S. towns
Schools
–MulberryNot graded C−SumterBetter than 22% of districts in the state
Health
–MulberryNot graded CSumterHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MulberrySumter
Snow a year0″0″
January low33°F33°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)230d230d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd45th
Outdoors & history
MulberrySumter
Trails1 mi20 mi
Conserved land0%7.4%
Settled—1845
National Register places—10
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—69
Community
MulberrySumter
Library hours a week—40 hrs
Colleges in town—3
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MulberrySumter
People
Population 474Lowest 43,053Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.1%Lowest SC: +10.7% +7.3%Highest SC: +10.7%
Median age 40.9±7.1Highest about the SC average 33.6±1.6Lowest 16% below SC
Mulberry and Sumter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20%±20.1Lowest SC: 21.4% 26%±2.1Highest SC: 21.4%
Sumter and Mulberry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.4%±12.3Lowest SC: 18.9% 17.6%±1.5Highest SC: 18.9%
Sumter and Mulberry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.9%Lowest SC: 32.1% 28.7%Highest SC: 32.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±4.2Lowest SC: 5.7% 6.3%±1Highest SC: 5.7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian — $55,592±$4k 20% below SC
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $148,600±$25kLowest 43% below SC $199,100±$11kHighest 23% below SC
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,076±$60 9% below SC
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,081Lowest 14% below SC $1,123Highest 10% below SC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 56.2%±5.9 SC: 52.1%
Below poverty line 19%Highest SC: 14.1% 16.7%Lowest SC: 14.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.6%Highest SC: 71.9% 57.2%Lowest SC: 71.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 16 yrs older than SC 1986Highest 6 yrs older than SC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 25% above SC 20 minLowest 23% below SC
Work from home 0%±13.7Lowest SC: 11.5% 6.1%±1.5Highest SC: 11.5%
Sumter and Mulberry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 31%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.31Lowest 1.37Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sumter (28%)Columbia (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 28% work in SumterFew work in Mulberry
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 7.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.1 miLowest 20.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 mi 0.6 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 23.9Lowest 70.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#107 of 141 in SC
School district —Sumter 01
High school in town —Sumter High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.0
South Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Mulberry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mulberry’s Town Square.

Sumter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sumter’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mulberry and Sumter

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Mulberry

+ Compare
West Union370 people · $148K homes
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Gray Court783 people · $186K homes
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Greeleyville362 people · $151K homes
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Carlisle494 people · $66K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks South Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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