South Carolina might be one of the smallest states in the country, but what they lack in size, they make up in some pretty great places to raise a family.
Whether the Palmetto Trees and white sandy beaches in Myrtle Beach is your family’s thing or the mountain biking and hiking trails in Greenville hits the spot, there’s a bunch of family friendly activities in South Carolina to keep your family happy, healthy, and entertained.
But, here at HomeSnacks, we know that there is way more that goes into deciding the best place to raise your family, so we thought it would be helpful to create a list of the top ten family friendly places in South Carolina for 2026. To identify the Palmetto State’s most family friendly places, we looked at the latest Census for 40 South Carolina cities with at least 10,000 residents. We looked at things that most families would find important: low crime, households with kids, schools that perform, and family friendly fun. Then we gave each place a score based on the data: we call this a cities’ SnackAbility.
And folks, we discovered a couple of pretty cool South Carolina fun family facts along the way. One, these family friendly places in South Carolina are kind of a big deal. They are constantly in the headlines for being the state’s best places to raise a family and for being some of the state’s safest.
And, two, you should probably take a look at our list below before making any life changing decisions for you family, because we don’t want your family to end up in one of South Carolina’s most dangerous places.
$142,000 median income · 44.4% households with kids
Located in
York County, South CarolinaData | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,126 median income · 37.7% households with kids
Located in
Lexington County, South CarolinaLexington is the largest town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. Lexington is a suburb of the state’s capital and second-largest city, Columbia. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2016 population is 24,905, and it is the second-largest municipality in the Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,823 median income · 46.2% households with kids
Located in
York County, South CarolinaFort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a suburb of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina and is located north of Rock Hill. As of 2015, approximately 13,662 people live inside the town’s corporate limits with a total of 36,119 people residing within the entire township. Some businesses and residents in the Indian Land community of neighboring Lancaster County often use Fort Mill as their city address as it is the nearest incorporated area, but the official town boundary is located only in York County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,281 median income · 32.6% households with kids
Located in
Beaufort County, South CarolinaBluffton is a Lowcountry town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is primarily located around U.S. Route 278, between Hilton Head Island and Interstate 95. The town’s original one square mile area, now known as Old Town, is situated on a bluff along the May River. The population was counted by the 2010 census at 12,893. Bluffton is the fastest growing municipality in South Carolina with a population over 2,500, growing 882.7% between the 2000 and 2010 census. Bluffton is the fifth largest municipality in South Carolina by land area. The town is a primary city within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bluffton is known for its eclectic Old Town district and natural views of the May River. It has been called “the last true coastal village of the South.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$92,414 median income · 21.1% households with kids
Located in
Charleston County, South CarolinaCharleston is the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina’s coastline and is located on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers. Charleston had an estimated population of 134,385 in 2016. The estimated population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 761,155 residents in 2016, the third-largest in the state and the 78th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$68,771 median income · 29.0% households with kids
Located in
York County, South CarolinaRock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina, United States and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 66,154. In 2016, the population had increased to 72,937.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$124,755 median income · 30.5% households with kids
Located in
Charleston County, South CarolinaMount Pleasant is a large suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is the fourth largest municipality and largest town in South Carolina, and for several years was one of the state’s fastest-growing areas, doubling in population between 1990 and 2000. The population was 67,843 at the 2010 census, and the estimated population in 2014 was 77,796. Mount Pleasant is the third largest city in the Charleston- North Charleston- Summerville metropolitan area, behind Charleston and North Charleston.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$73,585 median income · 41.8% households with kids
Located in
Laurens County, South CarolinaFountain Inn is a city in Greenville and Laurens counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 7,799 at the 2010 census, up from 6,017 in 2000. It is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$51,260 median income · 37.5% households with kids
Located in
Newberry County, South CarolinaNewberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, in the Piedmont 43 miles northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. The population was 10,277 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Newberry County; at one time it was called Newberry Courthouse.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$91,500 median income · 39.7% households with kids
Located in
Berkeley County, South CarolinaMoncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.
South Carolina statewide median: $69,324
South Carolina statewide median: $304,083
On the map
Where South Carolina’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in South Carolina anyways?
To give you the places in South Carolina that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of South Carolina, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For South Carolina, that meant a total of 40 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in South Carolina.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tega Cay | 13,615 | $142,000 | $611,048 | 44.4% |
| 2 | Lexington | 24,585 | $87,126 | $303,204 | 37.7% |
| 3 | Fort Mill | 30,775 | $121,823 | $527,208 | 46.2% |
| 4 | Bluffton | 33,157 | $111,281 | $498,492 | 32.6% |
| 5 | Charleston | 154,338 | $92,414 | $589,607 | 21.1% |
| 6 | Rock Hill | 75,259 | $68,771 | $326,184 | 29.0% |
| 7 | Mount Pleasant | 93,993 | $124,755 | $875,092 | 30.5% |
| 8 | Fountain Inn | 12,020 | $73,585 | $305,626 | 41.8% |
| 9 | Newberry | 10,790 | $51,260 | $166,455 | 37.5% |
| 10 | Moncks Corner | 15,485 | $91,500 | $360,391 | 39.7% |
| 11 | Conway | 27,263 | $56,650 | $286,177 | 27.7% |
| 12 | Irmo | 11,813 | $80,489 | $281,255 | 31.6% |
| 13 | Greer | 41,536 | $82,626 | $348,460 | 36.9% |
| 14 | Aiken | 32,521 | $76,746 | $272,072 | 20.8% |
| 15 | Greenville | 72,935 | $71,472 | $327,592 | 20.5% |
| 16 | Gaffney | 12,596 | $41,089 | $185,841 | 25.0% |
| 17 | Mauldin | 27,055 | $82,331 | $297,318 | 30.5% |
| 18 | North Augusta | 25,653 | $86,092 | $265,723 | 26.8% |
| 19 | Hanahan | 21,452 | $87,984 | $404,452 | 36.9% |
| 20 | Columbia | 139,643 | $55,529 | $229,068 | 23.3% |
| 21 | Spartanburg | 38,910 | $51,964 | $233,687 | 29.3% |
| 22 | Beaufort | 13,747 | $61,220 | $412,456 | 23.4% |
| 23 | Simpsonville | 26,144 | $82,457 | $377,970 | 33.0% |
| 24 | Florence | 40,408 | $56,143 | $219,285 | 30.1% |
| 25 | Forest Acres | 10,530 | $78,306 | $335,524 | 24.4% |
| 26 | Greenwood | 22,536 | $41,150 | $183,963 | 27.5% |
| 27 | Clemson | 18,072 | $49,520 | $396,341 | 14.1% |
| 28 | Summerville | 51,654 | $81,046 | $376,903 | 31.5% |
| 29 | Port Royal | 15,579 | $74,870 | $355,157 | 25.7% |
| 30 | Goose Creek | 48,078 | $88,178 | $318,055 | 31.4% |
| 31 | Easley | 24,841 | $66,299 | $315,980 | 25.9% |
| 32 | Sumter | 43,053 | $55,592 | $213,463 | 30.7% |
| 33 | Hardeeville | 10,871 | $78,365 | $426,445 | 10.1% |
| 34 | Orangeburg | 13,253 | $38,635 | $162,436 | 25.2% |
| 35 | Anderson | 30,051 | $46,933 | $272,108 | 26.2% |
| 36 | West Columbia | 17,963 | $56,912 | $226,049 | 19.9% |
| 37 | North Myrtle Beach | 19,855 | $72,722 | $390,621 | 10.6% |
| 38 | Cayce | 13,741 | $62,045 | $210,165 | 20.6% |
| 39 | Myrtle Beach | 38,371 | $60,394 | $320,925 | 19.9% |
| 40 | North Charleston | 119,913 | $62,956 | $309,522 | 27.2% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 40 South Carolina cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in South Carolina ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in South Carolina are Tega Cay, Lexington, Fort Mill, Bluffton, Charleston, Rock Hill, Mount Pleasant, Fountain Inn, Newberry, and Moncks Corner.
