You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in South Carolina.
The median household income in Charleston County, the richest county in South Carolina is $88,494, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 46 counties in the Palmetto State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in South Carolina? The richest county in South Carolina is Charleston County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Allendale County, according to the Census data.
$88,494 median income · $611,188 median home price
$86,573 median income · $546,770 median home price
$89,095 median income · $389,727 median home price
$78,869 median income · $391,457 median home price
$84,358 median income · $368,748 median home price
$78,198 median income · $345,663 median home price
$68,713 median income · $384,130 median home price
$76,932 median income · $336,411 median home price
$65,613 median income · $401,192 median home price
$77,408 median income · $271,339 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.
South Carolina statewide median: $69,324
South Carolina statewide median: $304,083
On the map
Where South Carolina’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which South Carolina county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in South Carolina, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in South Carolina for each of the criteria from one to 46, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In South Carolina.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Palmetto State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in South Carolina. The median South Carolina home is 33 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston County | 420,264 | $88,494 | $611,188 |
| 2 | Beaufort County | 195,289 | $86,573 | $546,770 |
| 3 | York County | 293,673 | $89,095 | $389,727 |
| 4 | Lancaster County | 104,475 | $78,869 | $391,457 |
| 5 | Berkeley County | 246,802 | $84,358 | $368,748 |
| 6 | Dorchester County | 167,201 | $78,198 | $345,663 |
| 7 | Georgetown County | 64,811 | $68,713 | $384,130 |
| 7 | Greenville County | 548,166 | $76,932 | $336,411 |
| 9 | Jasper County | 32,166 | $65,613 | $401,192 |
| 10 | Lexington County | 304,887 | $77,408 | $271,339 |
| 11 | Horry County | 383,016 | $66,880 | $316,676 |
| 12 | Edgefield County | 27,476 | $73,029 | $267,375 |
| 13 | Anderson County | 210,478 | $66,651 | $290,746 |
| 14 | Kershaw County | 68,314 | $68,231 | $251,652 |
| 14 | Spartanburg County | 347,852 | $66,234 | $276,790 |
| 16 | Aiken County | 174,160 | $70,609 | $234,751 |
| 17 | Pickens County | 134,629 | $61,064 | $299,970 |
| 17 | Oconee County | 80,469 | $62,388 | $287,576 |
| 19 | McCormick County | 9,760 | $55,798 | $322,811 |
| 20 | Richland County | 422,117 | $63,784 | $243,519 |
| 21 | Newberry County | 38,435 | $61,780 | $219,121 |
| 22 | Calhoun County | 14,182 | $58,682 | $211,151 |
| 22 | Sumter County | 104,725 | $56,693 | $213,439 |
| 24 | Colleton County | 38,783 | $51,114 | $251,055 |
| 25 | Florence County | 137,117 | $58,305 | $200,491 |
| 26 | Laurens County | 68,666 | $57,623 | $198,929 |
| 26 | Chester County | 32,182 | $52,458 | $212,488 |
| 28 | Abbeville County | 24,420 | $52,935 | $203,731 |
| 29 | Saluda County | 19,131 | $51,009 | $211,298 |
| 30 | Greenwood County | 69,489 | $52,830 | $170,949 |
| 30 | Clarendon County | 30,986 | $52,401 | $183,163 |
| 32 | Cherokee County | 56,647 | $50,288 | $186,421 |
| 33 | Fairfield County | 20,550 | $47,885 | $188,559 |
| 34 | Chesterfield County | 43,784 | $49,235 | $173,789 |
| 35 | Darlington County | 62,558 | $48,581 | $165,455 |
| 36 | Barnwell County | 20,521 | $46,626 | $149,829 |
| 37 | Orangeburg County | 83,253 | $45,675 | $160,249 |
| 38 | Hampton County | 18,254 | $44,711 | $152,974 |
| 39 | Williamsburg County | 30,282 | $46,213 | $130,757 |
| 40 | Lee County | 16,166 | $44,760 | $134,515 |
| 41 | Dillon County | 27,862 | $46,605 | $109,966 |
| 42 | Marion County | 28,664 | $36,301 | $137,378 |
| 43 | Union County | 26,885 | $41,621 | $129,393 |
| 43 | Bamberg County | 13,042 | $44,370 | $127,290 |
| 45 | Marlboro County | 25,975 | $34,301 | $83,302 |
| 46 | Allendale County | 7,661 | $32,328 | $71,542 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 46 South Carolina counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In South Carolina For 2026
Living in South Carolina can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in South Carolina are Charleston County, Beaufort County, York County, Lancaster County, Berkeley County, Dorchester County, Georgetown County, Greenville County, Jasper County, and Lexington County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on South Carolina? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In South Carolina FAQs
What is the richest county in South Carolina?
Charleston County is the richest county in South Carolina for 2026, with a median household income of $88,494. Beaufort County and York County are next.
What are the richest counties in South Carolina?
The richest counties in South Carolina are Charleston County, Beaufort County, York County, Lancaster County, Berkeley County, Dorchester County, Georgetown County, Greenville County, Jasper County, and Lexington County. We ranked all 46 South Carolina counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Charleston County?
The median household in Charleston County earns $88,494 a year, against a South Carolina statewide median of $69,324. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of South Carolina?
The median home across the ten richest South Carolina counties is $386,928, versus $304,083 statewide. In Charleston County, the typical home runs $611,188.
What is the poorest county in South Carolina?
Allendale County is the poorest county in South Carolina by this ranking, coming in last of the 46 counties we scored on income and home prices.
