Central ranks #10 in South Carolina for safety
Central is ranked on 34 lists against the 173 South Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 6.
Younger than 98% of South Carolina
Not better or worse, just Central’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Central does best on
Each list ranks every SC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Central marked.
Central lands in the top half on 12 of 21 lists
Each dot is Central’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in SC, the right end is last. Areas where Central does best come first.
3 spots from the top 10 for college degrees
Lists where Central sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Central out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every SC list, and where Central lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
People
C Most educated#1 Clemson University · 100% #13 C Youngest#1 Clemson University · 19.2 #5 K Oldest#1 Keowee Key · 65.6 #169
Most residents 65+#1 Litchfield Beach · 48.2%
#164
Most kids#1 Wellford · 39.2%
#86 Safety
Safest#1 Tega Cay · 7.7
#10 Health
Healthiest#1 Mount Pleasant · 98 / 100
#43
Lowest obesity#1 Isle of Palms · 25%
#41
Fewest smokers#1 Isle of Palms · 6%
#35
Most active#1 Isle of Palms · 14%
#45
Fewest uninsured#1 Isle of Palms · 4%
#73
Lowest depression#1 Hilton Head Island · 17%
#162
Closest to a top hospital#1 Summerville · 0.0 mi
#92 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Denmark · 0.9 yrs
#115
Cheapest rent#1 Landrum · $486/mo
#55
Lowest property tax#1 Cherryvale · $199/yr
#62
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Augusta · 38.3%
Schools
Best schools#1 Lake Murray of Richland · +36.8 pts
#85
Highest graduation rate#1 Fort Mill · 96%
#35 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Cheraw · 13.8 min
#72 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 North Myrtle Beach · 48.3%
#138
Most new homes#1 Hardeeville · 110.6 per 1,000
#40
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Hardeeville · +86.5%
#44
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Newberry · 13.8 per home
The number on the right is Central’s spot. All of South Carolina’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every SC list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.