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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 2021. To identify the Palmetto State's most family friendly places, we looked at the latest Census for 32 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.
The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In South Carolina For 2021
If you live in the greater Columbia and Charleston area, your family has some of the best of what South Carolina offers based on our criteria. Unfortunately, there can only be one number one best place for families in this southeastern state.
So, what is the best place for families in South Carolina? According to the latest data, that would be Beaufort.
Want to know the rest of the places that made this South Carolina list? Hit that down arrow key; and if you don't find what you're looking for there, head to the bottom.
Check out some more reading about South Carolina and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In South Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Carolina
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina For 2021
/10
Population: 13,404
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 49
Closest Major City: Jacksonville
Households with kids: 34.1%
More on Beaufort: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 23,838
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 75
Closest Major City: Fayetteville
Households with kids: 28.2%
More on Conway: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 21,334
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 37.0%
More on Lexington: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 17,692
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 42
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 49.3%
More on Fort Mill: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 10,245
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 50
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 20.6%
More on Newberry: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 73,334
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 77
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 29.9%
More on Rock Hill: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 10,743
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 52
Closest Major City: Fayetteville
Households with kids: 41.4%
More on Moncks Corner: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 20,799
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Jacksonville
Households with kids: 31.0%
More on Bluffton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 12,582
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 37
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 19.2%
More on Gaffney: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 67,737
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 74
Closest Major City: Charlotte
Households with kids: 22.6%
More on Greenville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
How do you determine which place is best for families in South Carolina anyways?
To give you the places in South Carolina which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Palmetto State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of South Carolina, we looked at 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 populations over 10,000 people. For South Carolina, that meant a total of 32 cities. You can download the data here.
There You Have It - 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 would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here's a look at the best cities for singles South Carolina according to the data:
- North Charleston
- Cayce
- North Myrtle Beach
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- Safest Places In South Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Carolina
- Best Places To Live In South Carolina
Where Are The Best Places For Families In South Carolina?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaufort, SC | 13,404 |
| 2 | Conway, SC | 23,838 |
| 3 | Lexington, SC | 21,334 |
| 4 | Fort Mill, SC | 17,692 |
| 5 | Newberry, SC | 10,245 |
| 6 | Rock Hill, SC | 73,334 |
| 7 | Moncks Corner, SC | 10,743 |
| 8 | Bluffton, SC | 20,799 |
| 9 | Gaffney, SC | 12,582 |
| 10 | Greenville, SC | 67,737 |
