The 10 Best Cities For Singles In South Carolina For 2026

The best cities for singles in South Carolina are Clemson and Greenville for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you looking for love in South Carolina?

Or are you just hoping to hook up with a hot South Carolinian?

Either way, we’ve got you covered here.

If you live in South Carolina, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Palmetto State has plenty of people over 18 who aren’t married or in a serious relationship.

That’s great news for people who are single and looking to mingle.

So, where are the best cities for singles in South Carolina? We used Saturday Night Science to find out.

1

No. 1 best city for singles in South Carolina

Clemson, SC

18,072 peopleSnackAbility 8/10
8/10
Clemson, SC
Source: Wikipedia User blahedo | CC BY-SA 2.5
24.8 median age · 8.0% married households
Map of Clemson within South Carolina Located in Pickens County, South Carolina

Clemson is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, the Princeton Review cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for “town-and-gown” relations with its resident university. The population of the city was 13,905 at the 2010 census.

Clemson is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area. Most of the city is in Pickens County, which is part of the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. A small portion is in Anderson County, which is part of the Anderson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2

No. 2 best city for singles in South Carolina

Greenville, SC

72,935 peopleSnackAbility 7.5/10
7.5/10
Greenville, SC
Source: Wikipedia User JAG from Greenville, SC, USA | CC BY 2.0
34.7 median age · 15.0% married households
Map of Greenville within South Carolina Located in Greenville County, South Carolina

Greenville is the largest city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The city’s mayor is Knox White, who has been in that position since December 1995. With an estimated population of 67,453 as of 2016, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. The population of the surrounding area was 400,492 as of 2010, making it the third-largest urban area in South Carolina as well as the fastest growing. Greenville is the largest city in the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The MSA had a population of 884,975 in 2016, making it the largest in South Carolina and the third largest in The Carolinas.

3

No. 3 best city for singles in South Carolina

North Charleston, SC

119,913 peopleSnackAbility 4/10
4/10
North Charleston, SC
Source: Public domain
34.6 median age · 12.0% married households
Map of North Charleston within South Carolina Located in Dorchester County, South Carolina

North Charleston is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, with incorporated areas in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charleston was incorporated and was rated as the ninth-largest city in South Carolina. As of the 2010 Census, North Charleston had a population of 97,471, growing to an estimated population of 108,304 in 2015, and with a current area of more than 76.6 square miles. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use by the U.S. Census Bureau and other U.S. Government agencies for statistical purposes only, North Charleston is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston urban area. North Charleston is one of the state’s major industrial centers and is the state’s top city in gross retail sales.

4

No. 4 best city for singles in South Carolina

Columbia, SC

139,643 peopleSnackAbility 4/10
4/10
Columbia, SC
Source: Wikipedia User Akhenaton06 | CC BY-SA 3.0
28.6 median age · 12.0% married households
Map of Columbia within South Carolina Located in Richland County, South Carolina

Columbia is the capital and second largest city of the U.S. state of South Carolina, with a population estimate of 134,309 as of 2016. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 767,598 as of the 2010 United States Census, growing to 817,488 by July 1, 2016, according to 2015 U.S. Census estimates. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, originating from the name of Christopher Columbus.

5

No. 5 best city for singles in South Carolina

Gaffney, SC

12,596 peopleSnackAbility 5/10up 2
5/10
Gaffney, SC
Source: Wikipedia User Bill Fitzpatrick | CC BY-SA 3.0
31.9 median age · 15.0% married households
Map of Gaffney within South Carolina Located in Cherokee County, South Carolina

Gaffney is a town in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the “Peach Capital of South Carolina”. The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 12,597 in 2014. It is the principal city of the Gaffney, South Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Combined Statistical Area.

6

No. 6 best city for singles in South Carolina

Hilton Head Island, SC

37,911 peopleSnackAbility 7.5/10down 1
7.5/10
Hilton Head Island, SC
Source: Wikipedia User MoodyGroove of English Wikipedia | GFDL
59.8 median age · 4.0% married households
Map of Hilton Head Island within South Carolina Located in Beaufort County, South Carolina

Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is 20 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles southwest of Charleston. The island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound, which he named “Hilton’s Head” after himself. The island features 12 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular vacation destination. In 2004, an estimated 2.25 million visitors pumped more than $1.5 billion into the local economy. The year-round population was 37,099 at the 2010 census, although during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 150,000. Over the past decade, the island’s population growth rate was 32%. Hilton Head Island is a primary city within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 207,413 in 2015.

7

No. 7 best city for singles in South Carolina

North Myrtle Beach, SC

19,855 peopleSnackAbility 6/10down 1
6/10
North Myrtle Beach, SC
Source: Wikipedia User Melikamp | CC BY-SA 3.0
61.9 median age · 7.0% married households
Map of North Myrtle Beach within South Carolina Located in Horry County, South Carolina
8

No. 8 best city for singles in South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, SC

38,371 peopleSnackAbility 4/10up 3
4/10
Myrtle Beach, SC
Source: Public domain
47.3 median age · 9.0% married households
Map of Myrtle Beach within South Carolina Located in Horry County, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina.

9

No. 9 best city for singles in South Carolina

Goose Creek, SC

48,078 peopleSnackAbility 7/10up 5
7/10
Goose Creek, SC
Source: Public domain
34.0 median age · 15.0% married households
Map of Goose Creek within South Carolina Located in Charleston County, South Carolina

Goose Creek is a city in Berkeley County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,938 at the 2010 census. Most of the Naval Weapons Station Charleston is in Goose Creek. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used only by the U.S. Census Bureau and other Federal agencies for statistical purposes, Goose Creek is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area.

10

No. 10 best city for singles in South Carolina

Sumter, SC

43,053 peopleSnackAbility 3/10down 1
3/10
Sumter, SC
Source: Public domain
33.6 median age · 17.0% married households
Map of Sumter within South Carolina Located in Sumter County, South Carolina

Sumter is the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. Known as the Sumter Metropolitan Statistical Area, the namesake county adjoins Clarendon and Lee to form the core of Sumter-Lee-Clarendon tri-county area of South Carolina, an area that includes the three counties in the east central Piedmont. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city’s population was 39,643 at the 2000 census. The 2010 census puts the city at 40,524.

The receipts

Compare the top ten

Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.

City Median age vs SC
1 Clemson 24.8
2 Greenville 34.7
3 North Charleston 34.6
4 Columbia 28.6
5 Gaffney 31.9
6 Hilton Head Island 59.8
7 North Myrtle Beach 61.9
8 Myrtle Beach 47.3
9 Goose Creek 34.0
10 Sumter 33.6
City % Married vs SC
1 Clemson 0.08
2 Greenville 0.15
3 North Charleston 0.12
4 Columbia 0.12
5 Gaffney 0.15
6 Hilton Head Island 0.04
7 North Myrtle Beach 0.07
8 Myrtle Beach 0.09
9 Goose Creek 0.15
10 Sumter 0.17
City % Families with kids vs SC
1 Clemson 14.1%
2 Greenville 20.5%
3 North Charleston 27.2%
4 Columbia 23.3%
5 Gaffney 25.0%
6 Hilton Head Island 14.4%
7 North Myrtle Beach 10.6%
8 Myrtle Beach 19.9%
9 Goose Creek 31.4%
10 Sumter 30.7%
City Population vs SC
1 Clemson 18,072
2 Greenville 72,935
3 North Charleston 119,913
4 Columbia 139,643
5 Gaffney 12,596
6 Hilton Head Island 37,911
7 North Myrtle Beach 19,855
8 Myrtle Beach 38,371
9 Goose Creek 48,078
10 Sumter 43,053

On the map

Where South Carolina’s singles cluster

Saturday Night Science

Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in South Carolina anyways?

To give you the places in South Carolina which are best for singles to find one another, we used Saturday Night Science 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 single people like.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2020-2024 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of South Carolina, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Population density
  • % of population that’s male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
  • % of households with kids
  • Median age
  • Number of unmarried people in each city

We then gave each city a “Singles Score.”

The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For South Carolina, that meant a total of 42 cities.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for singles in South Carolina.

Read on to see why Clemson is the talk of the town while Fountain Inn is probably a bit on the bland side.

The full plate

Best Cities For Singles In South Carolina

Click any column to sort. Search by city name.

RankCitySingles ScorePopulationMedian Age% Married Households% Households w/ Kids
1Clemson12.2018,07224.88.0%14.1%
2Greenville13.8072,93534.715.0%20.5%
3North Charleston14.40119,91334.612.0%27.2%
4Columbia14.80139,64328.612.0%23.3%
5Gaffney15.6012,59631.915.0%25.0%
6Hilton Head Island17.4037,91159.84.0%14.4%
7North Myrtle Beach17.7019,85561.97.0%10.6%
8Myrtle Beach18.3038,37147.39.0%19.9%
9Goose Creek19.2048,07834.015.0%31.4%
10Sumter19.3043,05333.617.0%30.7%
11Anderson19.4030,05132.716.0%26.2%
12Charleston19.70154,33836.613.0%21.1%
13Beaufort19.7013,74732.211.0%23.4%
14Hardeeville19.8010,87161.44.0%10.1%
15Mauldin19.9027,05540.917.0%30.5%
16Newberry20.1010,79029.317.0%37.5%
17Rock Hill20.2075,25935.715.0%29.0%
18Simpsonville20.2026,14437.120.0%33.0%
19Port Royal20.2015,57925.14.0%25.7%
20West Columbia20.7017,96338.618.0%19.9%
21Orangeburg21.1013,25336.417.0%25.2%
22Greenwood21.2022,53634.315.0%27.5%
23North Augusta21.7025,65342.39.0%26.8%
24Hanahan21.7021,45236.616.0%36.9%
25Forest Acres21.8010,53041.522.0%24.4%
26Conway22.2027,26332.510.0%27.7%
27Summerville22.4051,65438.916.0%31.5%
28Mount Pleasant22.6093,99342.612.0%30.5%
29Tega Cay22.6013,61541.03.0%44.4%
30Irmo22.7011,81340.321.0%31.6%
31Greer23.9041,53636.014.0%36.9%
32Aiken24.1032,52146.611.0%20.8%
33Spartanburg24.6038,91036.018.0%29.3%
34Bluffton24.8033,15742.75.0%32.6%
35Lexington25.3024,58539.019.0%37.7%
36Fort Mill25.7030,77538.47.0%46.2%
37Easley26.2024,84139.225.0%25.9%
38Cayce27.1013,74137.719.0%20.6%
39Florence27.8040,40837.822.0%30.1%
40Moncks Corner28.3015,48535.421.0%39.7%
41James Island29.0012,19841.724.0%30.2%
42Fountain Inn31.0012,02035.222.0%41.8%

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 42 cities with more than 10,000 residents.

Summary

Summary: The Best Cities For Singles In South Carolina For 2026

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 finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.

The best cities for singles in South Carolina are Clemson, Greenville, North Charleston, Columbia, Gaffney, Hilton Head Island, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Goose Creek, and Sumter.

Keep reading

More rankings worth a look

Chris Kolmar
About the author

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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