Is being in an area of South Carolina that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Charleston and Columbia, while others want peace and quiet like in Chester and Central, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in South Carolina have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Palmetto State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
292.8% growth since 2010 · 4,272 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
264.2% growth since 2010 · 7,886 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
208.5% growth since 2010 · 22,409 net new residents
Located in
Beaufort County, South Carolina
Bluffton 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
199.6% growth since 2010 · 20,502 net new residents
Located in
York County, South Carolina
Fort 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
110.4% growth since 2010 · 3,436 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
106.2% growth since 2010 · 7,977 net new residents
Located in
Berkeley County, South Carolina
Moncks 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
94.1% growth since 2010 · 6,601 net new residents
Located in
York County, South Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
87.4% growth since 2010 · 3,904 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
73.7% growth since 2010 · 17,628 net new residents
Located in
Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 25,515 as of the 2010 census and had risen to an estimated 28,365 as of 2015. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass through the city on the two highways which run through the city. The majority of the city is in Greenville County and is part of the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area.The city is additionally part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area in Upstate South Carolina.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
66.0% growth since 2010 · 10,839 net new residents
Located in
Horry County, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 16,317 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home of Coastal Carolina University.
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.
On the map
Where South Carolina’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Palmetto State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 63 South Carolina cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Palmetto State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in South Carolina.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In South Carolina For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blythewood | 5,731 | 1,459 | 292.8% | 4,272 |
| 2 | Hardeeville | 10,871 | 2,985 | 264.2% | 7,886 |
| 3 | Bluffton | 33,157 | 10,748 | 208.5% | 22,409 |
| 4 | Fort Mill | 30,775 | 10,273 | 199.6% | 20,502 |
| 5 | Lyman | 6,547 | 3,111 | 110.4% | 3,436 |
| 6 | Moncks Corner | 15,485 | 7,508 | 106.2% | 7,977 |
| 7 | Tega Cay | 13,615 | 7,014 | 94.1% | 6,601 |
| 8 | Travelers Rest | 8,370 | 4,466 | 87.4% | 3,904 |
| 9 | Greer | 41,536 | 23,908 | 73.7% | 17,628 |
| 10 | Conway | 27,263 | 16,424 | 66.0% | 10,839 |
| 11 | Fountain Inn | 12,020 | 7,411 | 62.2% | 4,609 |
| 12 | Lexington | 24,585 | 16,410 | 49.8% | 8,175 |
| 13 | Port Royal | 15,579 | 10,442 | 49.2% | 5,137 |
| 14 | Simpsonville | 26,144 | 17,537 | 49.1% | 8,607 |
| 15 | North Myrtle Beach | 19,855 | 13,397 | 48.2% | 6,458 |
| 16 | Clover | 7,234 | 4,916 | 47.2% | 2,318 |
| 17 | Mount Pleasant | 93,993 | 64,208 | 46.4% | 29,785 |
| 18 | Myrtle Beach | 38,371 | 26,696 | 43.7% | 11,675 |
| 19 | Goose Creek | 48,078 | 34,765 | 38.3% | 13,313 |
| 20 | Clemson | 18,072 | 13,596 | 32.9% | 4,476 |
| 21 | Charleston | 154,338 | 116,347 | 32.7% | 37,991 |
| 22 | Summerville | 51,654 | 40,409 | 27.8% | 11,245 |
| 23 | North Charleston | 119,913 | 94,524 | 26.9% | 25,389 |
| 24 | Hanahan | 21,452 | 16,944 | 26.6% | 4,508 |
| 25 | Greenville | 72,935 | 57,821 | 26.1% | 15,114 |
| 26 | Easley | 24,841 | 19,720 | 26.0% | 5,121 |
| 27 | North Augusta | 25,653 | 20,535 | 24.9% | 5,118 |
| 28 | Mauldin | 27,055 | 21,686 | 24.8% | 5,369 |
| 29 | West Columbia | 17,963 | 14,668 | 22.5% | 3,295 |
| 30 | Camden | 8,267 | 6,805 | 21.5% | 1,462 |
| 31 | Rock Hill | 75,259 | 63,108 | 19.3% | 12,151 |
| 32 | York | 8,969 | 7,613 | 17.8% | 1,356 |
| 33 | Hollywood | 5,382 | 4,597 | 17.1% | 785 |
| 34 | Anderson | 30,051 | 26,566 | 13.1% | 3,485 |
| 35 | Aiken | 32,521 | 28,807 | 12.9% | 3,714 |
| 36 | Florence | 40,408 | 36,017 | 12.2% | 4,391 |
| 37 | Seneca | 8,993 | 8,024 | 12.1% | 969 |
| 38 | Cayce | 13,741 | 12,319 | 11.5% | 1,422 |
| 39 | Beaufort | 13,747 | 12,492 | 10.0% | 1,255 |
| 40 | Columbia | 139,643 | 127,605 | 9.4% | 12,038 |
| 41 | Central | 5,320 | 4,866 | 9.3% | 454 |
| 42 | Lancaster | 8,921 | 8,283 | 7.7% | 638 |
| 43 | Sumter | 43,053 | 40,340 | 6.7% | 2,713 |
| 44 | Irmo | 11,813 | 11,085 | 6.6% | 728 |
| 45 | Newberry | 10,790 | 10,272 | 5.0% | 518 |
| 46 | Spartanburg | 38,910 | 37,488 | 3.8% | 1,422 |
| 47 | Hilton Head Island | 37,911 | 36,714 | 3.3% | 1,197 |
| 48 | Walterboro | 5,480 | 5,412 | 1.3% | 68 |
| 49 | Forest Acres | 10,530 | 10,412 | 1.1% | 118 |
| 50 | Gaffney | 12,596 | 12,492 | 0.8% | 104 |
| 51 | Laurens | 9,336 | 9,265 | 0.8% | 71 |
| 52 | Greenwood | 22,536 | 22,936 | -1.7% | -400 |
| 53 | Darlington | 6,120 | 6,374 | -4.0% | -254 |
| 54 | Orangeburg | 13,253 | 13,855 | -4.3% | -602 |
| 55 | Union | 8,079 | 8,485 | -4.8% | -406 |
| 56 | Hartsville | 7,419 | 7,806 | -5.0% | -387 |
| 57 | Dillon | 6,354 | 6,740 | -5.7% | -386 |
| 58 | Georgetown | 8,565 | 9,302 | -7.9% | -737 |
| 59 | Chester | 5,218 | 5,752 | -9.3% | -534 |
| 60 | Lake City | 5,988 | 6,690 | -10.5% | -702 |
| 61 | Clinton | 7,676 | 8,615 | -10.9% | -939 |
| 62 | Marion | 6,206 | 6,970 | -11.0% | -764 |
| 63 | Bennettsville | 7,751 | 9,322 | -16.9% | -1,571 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 63 South Carolina cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In South Carolina, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in South Carolina are led by Blythewood which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in South Carolina are Blythewood, Hardeeville, Bluffton, Fort Mill, Lyman, Moncks Corner, Tega Cay, Travelers Rest, Greer, and Conway.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
