Gayest places in South Carolina research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in South Carolina with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
4.7% gay households · #1 gayest in South Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.9% gay households · #2 gayest in South Carolina
Located in
Lancaster County, South Carolina
The city of Lancaster is the county seat of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States, located in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 9,134 but due to South Carolina’s strict annexation laws its actual population is well over twenty thousand people. The city was named after the famous House of Lancaster. Locally, Lancaster is pronounced LAYN-ks-tr, rather than the usual American pronunciation LAN-kas-tr. The modern British pronunciation is LANG-kas-tr.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.5% gay households · #3 gayest in 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.2% gay households · #4 gayest in South Carolina
2.1% gay households · #5 gayest in South Carolina
Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located 48 miles west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin region in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.0% gay households · #6 gayest in South Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.9% gay households · #7 gayest in South Carolina
1.9% gay households · #8 gayest in South Carolina
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
1.8% gay households · #9 gayest in South Carolina
Located in
Richland County, South Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.8% gay households · #10 gayest in South Carolina
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 LGBTQ households are
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the gayest places in South Carolina for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in South Carolina, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same-sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 105 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same-sex partner households being the most gay.
In the end, Duncan ended up being the most gay place with 4.7% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straightest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in South Carolina.
The full plate
Gayest Places In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Households | LGBTQ Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duncan | 1,868 | 88 | 4.7% |
| 2 | Lancaster | 3,646 | 105 | 2.9% |
| 3 | Clemson | 7,868 | 200 | 2.5% |
| 4 | Seabrook Island | 1,250 | 27 | 2.2% |
| 5 | Walterboro | 2,330 | 50 | 2.1% |
| 6 | Pendleton | 1,889 | 37 | 2.0% |
| 7 | Allendale | 1,256 | 24 | 1.9% |
| 8 | Moncks Corner | 5,194 | 97 | 1.9% |
| 9 | Forest Acres | 4,972 | 91 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Kiawah Island | 1,211 | 22 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Union | 3,904 | 68 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Charleston | 68,027 | 1,066 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Hollywood | 2,309 | 36 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Landrum | 1,267 | 19 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Irmo | 4,632 | 65 | 1.4% |
| 16 | Clover | 2,713 | 38 | 1.4% |
| 17 | Isle of Palms | 2,043 | 27 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Aiken | 13,275 | 173 | 1.3% |
| 19 | Beaufort | 5,348 | 69 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Hartsville | 2,982 | 37 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Greenville | 35,482 | 429 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Cayce | 6,556 | 79 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Hilton Head Island | 18,326 | 220 | 1.2% |
| 24 | Fountain Inn | 4,570 | 53 | 1.2% |
| 25 | James Island | 4,666 | 52 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Conway | 8,762 | 97 | 1.1% |
| 27 | Chester | 2,115 | 23 | 1.1% |
| 28 | Goose Creek | 17,780 | 193 | 1.1% |
| 29 | Batesburg-Leesville | 2,077 | 22 | 1.1% |
| 30 | Columbia | 53,076 | 508 | 1.0% |
| 31 | Summerville | 21,228 | 198 | 0.9% |
| 32 | Honea Path | 1,434 | 13 | 0.9% |
| 33 | Liberty | 1,332 | 12 | 0.9% |
| 34 | Mullins | 1,697 | 15 | 0.9% |
| 35 | Hanahan | 8,009 | 70 | 0.9% |
| 36 | Seneca | 4,082 | 35 | 0.9% |
| 37 | West Columbia | 8,516 | 73 | 0.9% |
| 38 | Gaffney | 4,635 | 39 | 0.8% |
| 39 | Burne | 1,081 | 9 | 0.8% |
| 40 | Mauldin | 11,656 | 89 | 0.8% |
| 41 | Sumter | 16,081 | 121 | 0.8% |
| 42 | Greenwood | 8,866 | 66 | 0.7% |
| 43 | Travelers Rest | 2,423 | 18 | 0.7% |
| 44 | Andrews | 1,213 | 9 | 0.7% |
| 45 | Simpsonville | 10,143 | 71 | 0.7% |
| 46 | Rock Hill | 31,307 | 218 | 0.7% |
| 47 | Pine Ridge | 1,050 | 7 | 0.7% |
| 48 | Surfside Beach | 2,034 | 13 | 0.6% |
| 49 | North Charleston | 49,185 | 314 | 0.6% |
| 50 | Myrtle Beach | 17,623 | 111 | 0.6% |
| 51 | Anderson | 12,584 | 67 | 0.5% |
| 52 | North Myrtle Beach | 9,967 | 53 | 0.5% |
| 53 | Spartanburg | 15,924 | 84 | 0.5% |
| 54 | Georgetown | 3,532 | 18 | 0.5% |
| 55 | New Ellenton | 1,035 | 5 | 0.5% |
| 56 | Springdale | 1,054 | 5 | 0.5% |
| 57 | Lexington | 9,778 | 46 | 0.5% |
| 58 | Central | 1,942 | 9 | 0.5% |
| 59 | Greer | 16,285 | 68 | 0.4% |
| 60 | Tega Cay | 4,940 | 20 | 0.4% |
| 61 | Walhalla | 1,760 | 7 | 0.4% |
| 62 | Camden | 3,656 | 14 | 0.4% |
| 63 | Darlington | 2,624 | 10 | 0.4% |
| 64 | Mount Pleasant | 39,884 | 150 | 0.4% |
| 65 | North Augusta | 11,168 | 38 | 0.3% |
| 66 | York | 3,418 | 11 | 0.3% |
| 67 | Jackson | 1,026 | 3 | 0.3% |
| 68 | Laurens | 3,925 | 10 | 0.3% |
| 69 | Hardeeville | 5,238 | 13 | 0.2% |
| 70 | Bluffton | 12,987 | 31 | 0.2% |
| 71 | Blythewood | 2,274 | 5 | 0.2% |
| 72 | Fort Mill | 11,139 | 23 | 0.2% |
| 73 | Florence | 16,413 | 30 | 0.2% |
| 74 | Easley | 10,949 | 18 | 0.2% |
| 75 | Orangeburg | 4,613 | 7 | 0.2% |
| 76 | Newberry | 3,938 | 3 | 0.1% |
| 77 | Inman | 1,337 | 1 | 0.1% |
| 78 | Pacolet | 1,052 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 79 | Williamston | 1,750 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 80 | Winnsboro | 1,435 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 81 | Johnston | 1,002 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 82 | Lyman | 2,372 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 83 | Port Royal | 4,676 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 84 | Saluda | 1,197 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 85 | Woodruff | 1,942 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 86 | Abbeville | 1,954 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 87 | Pickens | 1,328 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 88 | Kingstree | 1,297 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 89 | Bamberg | 1,129 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 90 | Belton | 1,544 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 91 | Barnwell | 1,789 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 92 | Bishopville | 1,179 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 93 | Westminster | 1,172 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 94 | Williston | 1,227 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 95 | Dillon | 2,512 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 96 | Loris | 1,161 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 97 | Lake City | 2,612 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 98 | Hampton | 1,244 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 99 | Bennettsville | 2,830 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 100 | Manning | 1,887 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Places with over 1,000 households.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In South Carolina For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in South Carolina, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in South Carolina are Duncan, Lancaster, Clemson, Seabrook Island, Walterboro, Pendleton, Allendale, Moncks Corner, Forest Acres, and Kiawah Island. Not sold on South Carolina? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Gayest Places In South Carolina FAQs
What is the gayest city in South Carolina?
Duncan is the gayest place in South Carolina for 2026, with same-sex couples making up 4.7% of households. Lancaster and Clemson are next.
What are the gayest places in South Carolina?
The gayest places in South Carolina are Duncan, Lancaster, Clemson, Seabrook Island, Walterboro, Pendleton, Allendale, Moncks Corner, Forest Acres, and Kiawah Island. We ranked all 105 places with over 1,000 households by their share of same-sex partner households.
How do you measure the gayest places?
The Census does not ask about sexual orientation, so we use the closest thing it tracks: the share of households headed by same-sex partners, from the American Community Survey. It undercounts single LGBT residents, but it is consistent from place to place.
What is the straightest place in South Carolina?
Cheraw is the straightest place in South Carolina by this measure, with same-sex couples at 0.0% of households. It anchors the other end of the ranking.
Does a town have to be big to make the list?
No. Any South Carolina place with more than 1,000 households qualifies, and 105 made the cut this year. Small towns can and do out-rank the big cities on this one.
