The 10 Most Diverse Cities In South Carolina For 2022


We used data and science to determine the most diverse cities in South Carolina.

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Most Diverse Cities In South Carolina

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Race relations in America seem to be hitting a tipping point.

While we still haven't dealt with racism as a society, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has only flamed the tensions that have been mounting for years.

Part of the reason for that tension? The country as a whole continues to self segregate across race, income, and party lines. But it's not all bad on the race relations front.

There are parts of South Carolina where there's a high level of diversity -- where people of all walks of life come together. We decided to shine a light on those places today.

Using a standard measure of diversity, we ranked all 65 cities in South Carolina from most to least diverse.

Here are the 10 most diverse places in South Carolina for 2022:

  1. North Charleston
  2. Greenwood
  3. Columbia
  4. Rock Hill
  5. Sumter
  6. Greer
  7. Spartanburg
  8. Lancaster
  9. York
  10. Batesburg-Leesville

So what city is the most diverse in South Carolina? According to the most Census data, North Charleston took the number one over all spot for diversity in South Carolina.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. To see where South Carolina ranked as a state, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in Ameria.

And if you already knew these places were diverse, check out:

The 10 Most Diverse Places In South Carolina For 2022

North Charleston, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 113,880

HHI: 3,494
% White: 38.2%
% African American: 43.4%
% Asian: 2.3%
More on North Charleston: PhotosData

Greenwood, SC

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 23,351

HHI: 3,908
% White: 38.9%
% African American: 47.7%
% Asian: 1.7%
More on Greenwood: PhotosData

Columbia, SC

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 134,057

HHI: 3,969
% White: 48.9%
% African American: 39.1%
% Asian: 2.8%
More on Columbia: PhotosData

Rock Hill, SC

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 74,410

HHI: 4,072
% White: 50.7%
% African American: 38.1%
% Asian: 1.9%
More on Rock Hill: PhotosData

Sumter, SC

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 39,758

HHI: 4,088
% White: 40.2%
% African American: 49.3%
% Asian: 2.3%
More on Sumter: PhotosData

Greer, SC

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 32,229

HHI: 4,116
% White: 59.8%
% African American: 16.1%
% Asian: 5.2%
More on Greer: PhotosData

Spartanburg, SC

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 37,448

HHI: 4,165
% White: 45.6%
% African American: 45.4%
% Asian: 2.0%
More on Spartanburg: PhotosData

Lancaster, SC

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,187

HHI: 4,169
% White: 41.1%
% African American: 49.2%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on Lancaster: PhotosData

York, SC

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,287

HHI: 4,186
% White: 53.5%
% African American: 35.7%
% Asian: 0.0%
More on York: PhotosData

Batesburg-Leesville, SC

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,504

HHI: 4,247
% White: 45.8%
% African American: 45.9%
% Asian: 0.3%
More on Batesburg-Leesville: PhotosData

Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in South Carolina for 2022

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across South Carolina.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2016-2020 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
  • Hispanic or Latino
* Not hispanic or latino

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 65 cities.

We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 3,494 (North Charleston) to 8,053 (Mount Pleasant).

Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. North Charleston took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Mount Pleasant was the least diverse city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in South Carolina ranked for diversity or, for a more general take on diversity in america, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Diversity Across South Carolina

If you're looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across South Carolina, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least diverse places in South Carolina:

  1. Mount Pleasant
  2. North Myrtle Beach
  3. James Island

For more South Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Race By City In South Carolina For 2022

Rank City Population HHI
1 North Charleston, SC 113,880 3,494
2 Greenwood, SC 23,351 3,908
3 Columbia, SC 134,057 3,969
4 Rock Hill, SC 74,410 4,072
5 Sumter, SC 39,758 4,088
6 Greer, SC 32,229 4,116
7 Spartanburg, SC 37,448 4,165
8 Lancaster, SC 9,187 4,169
9 York, SC 8,287 4,186
10 Batesburg-Leesville, SC 5,504 4,247
11 Goose Creek, SC 42,944 4,264
12 Port Royal, SC 13,265 4,279
13 Hollywood, SC 5,273 4,296
14 Cheraw, SC 5,596 4,318
15 Fountain Inn, SC 10,127 4,343
16 Dillon, SC 6,358 4,347
17 Florence, SC 38,535 4,347
18 Gaffney, SC 12,733 4,367
19 Camden, SC 7,185 4,372
20 Georgetown, SC 8,884 4,388
21 Walterboro, SC 5,417 4,405
22 Newberry, SC 10,219 4,407
23 Central, SC 5,342 4,472
24 Beaufort, SC 13,417 4,516
25 Union, SC 7,716 4,548
26 Laurens, SC 8,863 4,562
27 Abbeville, SC 5,014 4,614
28 Clover, SC 6,370 4,618
29 Mauldin, SC 25,829 4,633
30 Anderson, SC 27,387 4,665
31 Myrtle Beach, SC 33,638 4,667
32 Clinton, SC 8,347 4,721
33 Greenville, SC 69,648 4,774
34 Aiken, SC 31,428 4,793
35 Darlington, SC 6,000 4,821
36 Hartsville, SC 7,559 4,851
37 Bennettsville, SC 7,905 4,853
38 Hardeeville, SC 6,788 4,879
39 West Columbia, SC 17,782 4,947
40 Irmo, SC 12,397 4,964
41 Moncks Corner, SC 11,370 4,984
42 Conway, SC 24,747 5,002
43 Chester, SC 5,392 5,010
44 Simpsonville, SC 23,200 5,041
45 Cayce, SC 13,964 5,072
46 Hanahan, SC 25,743 5,166
47 Summerville, SC 53,643 5,251
48 North Augusta, SC 23,370 5,453
49 Charleston, SC 137,041 5,547
50 Travelers Rest, SC 7,947 5,641
51 Seneca, SC 8,424 5,647
52 Fort Mill, SC 19,920 5,745
53 Lake City, SC 6,562 5,772
54 Orangeburg, SC 12,713 5,875
55 Lexington, SC 21,847 5,897
56 Bluffton, SC 23,176 5,953
57 Forest Acres, SC 10,300 5,991
58 Tega Cay, SC 10,834 6,094
59 Hilton Head Island, SC 40,000 6,352
60 Marion, SC 6,598 6,431
61 Easley, SC 21,149 6,602
62 Clemson, SC 16,917 6,644
63 James Island, SC 12,157 7,497
64 North Myrtle Beach, SC 16,684 7,543
65 Mount Pleasant, SC 89,410 8,053

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the most diverse places in South Carolina.

About Chris Kolmar

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.