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Compare towns

Sumter vs Mulberry

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

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Sumter, SCHometown of 69 notable peopleSouth Carolina · 43,053 people
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Mulberry, SCA small town of 474South Carolina · 474 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.

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 →
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 →
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.

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

Sumter and Mulberry share a border

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

SumterMulberrySumterMulberry
Sumter ↔ Mulberry4.0 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
D−SumterSafer than 4% of U.S. towns –MulberryNot graded
Schools
C−SumterBetter than 22% of districts in the state –MulberryNot graded
Health
CSumterHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns –MulberryNot graded
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
SumterMulberry
Snow a year0″0″
January low33°F33°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)230d230d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)45th43rd
Outdoors & history
SumterMulberry
Trails20 mi1 mi
Conserved land7.4%0%
Settled1845—
National Register places10—
Archive photos24—
Famous people born here69—
Community
SumterMulberry
Library hours a week40 hrs—
Colleges in town3—
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.

SumterMulberry
People
Population 43,053Highest 474Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7.3%Highest SC: +10.7% +2.1%Lowest SC: +10.7%
Median age 33.6±1.6Lowest 16% below SC 40.9±7.1Highest about the SC average
Mulberry and Sumter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26%±2.1Highest SC: 21.4% 20%±20.1Lowest 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+ 17.6%±1.5Highest SC: 18.9% 15.4%±12.3Lowest 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+ 28.7%Highest SC: 32.1% 8.9%Lowest SC: 32.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±1Highest SC: 5.7% 0%±4.2Lowest SC: 5.7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $55,592±$4k 20% below SC —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $199,100±$11kHighest 23% below SC $148,600±$25kLowest 43% below SC
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,076±$60 9% below SC —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,123Highest 10% below SC $1,081Lowest 14% below SC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.2%±5.9 SC: 52.1% —
Below poverty line 16.7%Lowest SC: 14.1% 19%Highest SC: 14.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 57.2%Lowest SC: 71.9% 76.6%Highest SC: 71.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest 6 yrs older than SC 1976Lowest 16 yrs older than SC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 23% below SC 32 minHighest 25% above SC
Work from home 6.1%±1.5Highest SC: 11.5% 0%±13.7Lowest 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 31%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.37Highest 0.31Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Columbia (7%)Sumter (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Mulberry28% work in Sumter
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.4%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 20.3 miHighest 1.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 mi 0.6 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 70.5Highest 23.9Lowest
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.

Sumter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sumter’s Town Square.

Mulberry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mulberry’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sumter and Mulberry

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

Bordering Sumter

S
+ Compare
South Sumter1,626 people · $70K homes
E
+ Compare
East Sumter943 people · $73K homes
L
+ Compare
Lakewood3,544 people · $294K homes
C
+ Compare
Cherryvale2,611 people · $91K homes

Towns like Sumter

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Spartanburg38,910 people · $204K homes
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Florence40,408 people · $211K homes
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Anderson30,051 people · $218K homes
+ Compare
Rock Hill75,259 people · $295K 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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