Want to know where you can live the South Carolina dream in some of the richest places in the state? You’ve come to the right place.
We created a list of the top ten wealthiest places to live in The Palmetto State for 2026. Incidentally, this is our eleventh time ranking the cities in this Southern state, so believe us when we say that South Carolina’s most prosperous places are the creme de la creme.
To identify South Carolina’s wealthiest places, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the latest Census and Zillow data on incomes and home prices. We limited the analysis to 91 Indiana cities with more than 3,000 residents.
Now, if you want to live in South Carolina’s richest places, you will have to bring home the bacon. The median income for many in the top ten will require that you have a solid job in something like finance, healthcare, or engineering.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In South Carolina For 2026
What’s the richest place in South Carolina for 2026? The richest place in South Carolina is Isle of Palms.
Many of South Carolina’s wealthiest places are also the state’s safest. South Carolina notables like Jesse Jackson and Vanna White have been singing the praises of places like Greenville and Myrtle Beach for years.
To learn more about where South Carolina’s ‘one percenters’ live, read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about South Carolina:
The 10 Richest Cities In South Carolina For 2026
1. Isle of Palms
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2. Mount Pleasant
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Population: 93,993
Median Income: $124,755
Median Home Values: $875,092
More on Mount Pleasant: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Tega Cay
/10
Population: 13,615
Median Income: $142,000
Median Home Values: $611,048
More on Tega Cay: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Hilton Head Island
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Population: 37,911
Median Income: $94,657
Median Home Values: $787,678
More on Hilton Head Island: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. James Island
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Population: 12,198
Median Income: $104,217
Median Home Values: $597,130
More on James Island: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Fort Mill
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Population: 30,775
Median Income: $121,823
Median Home Values: $527,208
More on Fort Mill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Bluffton
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Population: 33,157
Median Income: $111,281
Median Home Values: $498,492
More on Bluffton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Charleston
/10
Population: 154,338
Median Income: $92,414
Median Home Values: $589,607
More on Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Hanahan
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Population: 21,452
Median Income: $87,984
Median Home Values: $404,451
More on Hanahan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Clover
/10
Population: 7,234
Median Income: $85,450
Median Home Values: $413,527
More on Clover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In South Carolina For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 91 places with more than 3,000 people in South Carolina, we ranked each place from 1 to 91 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Isle of Palms, crowned the “Richest City In South Carolina For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in South Carolina.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 91 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In South Carolina For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in South Carolina, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in South Carolina.
The richest cities in South Carolina are Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant, Tega Cay, Hilton Head Island, James Island, Fort Mill, Bluffton, Charleston, Hanahan, and Clover.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in South Carolina, according to data:
Poorest: Denmark
2nd Poorest: Kingstree
3rd Poorest: Lake City
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In South Carolina
- Worst Places To Live In South Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Carolina
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In South Carolina
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Of Palms | 1.0 | $156,979 | $1,616,637 |
| 2 | Mount Pleasant | 2.5 | $124,755 | $875,092 |
| 3 | Tega Cay | 3.0 | $142,000 | $611,048 |
| 4 | Hilton Head Island | 5.0 | $94,657 | $787,678 |
| 5 | James Island | 5.5 | $104,217 | $597,130 |
| 6 | Fort Mill | 5.5 | $121,823 | $527,208 |
| 7 | Bluffton | 7.0 | $111,281 | $498,492 |
| 8 | Charleston | 7.5 | $92,414 | $589,607 |
| 9 | Hanahan | 12.5 | $87,984 | $404,451 |
| 10 | Clover | 13.0 | $85,450 | $413,527 |
| 11 | Moncks Corner | 14.0 | $91,500 | $360,390 |
| 12 | Hardeeville | 15.5 | $78,365 | $426,444 |
| 13 | Blythewood | 16.0 | $94,167 | $340,026 |
| 14 | Simpsonville | 16.5 | $82,457 | $377,969 |
| 15 | Hollywood | 17.0 | $73,693 | $519,342 |
| 16 | Summerville | 18.0 | $81,046 | $376,903 |
| 17 | Greer | 19.5 | $82,626 | $348,460 |
| 18 | Goose Creek | 20.5 | $88,178 | $318,055 |
| 19 | North Myrtle Beach | 21.5 | $72,722 | $390,621 |
| 20 | Port Royal | 22.5 | $74,870 | $355,156 |
| 21 | Forest Acres | 23.5 | $78,306 | $335,524 |
| 22 | Lexington | 25.0 | $87,126 | $303,204 |
| 23 | Beaufort | 26.5 | $61,220 | $412,455 |
| 24 | Surfside Beach | 26.5 | $70,106 | $352,699 |
| 25 | Greenville | 27.5 | $71,472 | $327,592 |
| 26 | Mauldin | 28.5 | $82,331 | $297,318 |
| 27 | Rock Hill | 29.5 | $68,771 | $326,184 |
| 28 | Lyman | 30.0 | $75,653 | $303,650 |
| 29 | Fountain Inn | 30.5 | $73,585 | $305,625 |
| 30 | Easley | 32.0 | $66,299 | $315,979 |
| 31 | Irmo | 32.5 | $80,489 | $281,254 |
| 32 | North Augusta | 32.5 | $86,092 | $265,723 |
| 33 | Ridgeland | 33.0 | $62,981 | $318,105 |
| 34 | York | 34.5 | $56,176 | $356,168 |
| 35 | North Charleston | 35.0 | $62,956 | $309,521 |
| 36 | Myrtle Beach | 35.0 | $60,394 | $320,925 |
| 37 | Aiken | 35.5 | $76,746 | $272,072 |
| 38 | Woodruff | 36.0 | $70,959 | $284,467 |
| 39 | Inman | 36.5 | $63,599 | $302,759 |
| 40 | Travelers Rest | 38.0 | $54,583 | $353,915 |
| 41 | Clemson | 38.5 | $49,520 | $396,340 |
| 42 | Williamston | 40.0 | $64,389 | $279,925 |
| 43 | Pendleton | 42.0 | $61,901 | $282,414 |
| 44 | Central | 43.0 | $60,258 | $284,220 |
| 45 | Duncan | 44.5 | $52,500 | $308,640 |
| 46 | Conway | 44.5 | $56,650 | $286,177 |
| 47 | Camden | 45.5 | $63,576 | $237,602 |
| 48 | Seneca | 46.0 | $52,022 | $304,236 |
| 49 | Wellford | 47.0 | $57,338 | $267,203 |
| 50 | Georgetown | 50.0 | $56,981 | $250,504 |
| 51 | Pickens | 51.5 | $55,000 | $271,726 |
| 52 | West Columbia | 53.0 | $56,912 | $226,049 |
| 53 | Cayce | 53.5 | $62,045 | $210,164 |
| 54 | Lancaster | 54.0 | $46,311 | $291,062 |
| 55 | Columbia | 55.5 | $55,529 | $229,067 |
| 56 | Florence | 56.0 | $56,143 | $219,285 |
| 57 | Anderson | 57.0 | $46,933 | $272,108 |
| 58 | Spartanburg | 57.5 | $51,964 | $233,686 |
| 59 | Walterboro | 58.0 | $56,457 | $210,403 |
| 60 | Sumter | 58.5 | $55,592 | $213,462 |
| 61 | Belton | 59.0 | $49,107 | $263,490 |
| 62 | Burne | 60.5 | $50,347 | $222,837 |
| 63 | Liberty | 62.5 | $42,206 | $261,044 |
| 64 | Andrews | 63.0 | $57,247 | $153,727 |
| 65 | Barnwell | 66.0 | $52,006 | $169,127 |
| 66 | Batesburg-Leesville | 66.5 | $49,646 | $182,850 |
| 67 | Newberry | 67.5 | $51,260 | $166,454 |
| 68 | Hartsville | 68.5 | $49,272 | $179,198 |
| 69 | Laurens | 68.5 | $49,246 | $180,131 |
| 70 | Walhalla | 68.5 | $36,327 | $230,203 |
| 71 | Edgefield | 69.5 | $39,688 | $216,233 |
| 72 | Abbeville | 70.5 | $40,575 | $211,891 |
| 73 | Gaffney | 71.5 | $41,089 | $185,840 |
| 74 | Greenwood | 71.5 | $41,150 | $183,962 |
| 75 | Clinton | 73.0 | $44,522 | $163,865 |
| 76 | Honea Path | 73.5 | $32,900 | $218,833 |
| 77 | Saluda | 74.5 | $42,506 | $160,085 |
| 78 | Manning | 76.0 | $28,569 | $215,523 |
| 79 | Orangeburg | 77.0 | $38,635 | $162,436 |
| 80 | Chester | 77.5 | $46,138 | $128,679 |
| 81 | Winnsboro | 79.0 | $37,434 | $155,104 |
| 82 | Darlington | 82.5 | $33,952 | $153,322 |
| 83 | Mullins | 83.5 | $34,908 | $131,098 |
| 84 | Cheraw | 84.5 | $26,689 | $156,879 |
| 85 | Dillon | 85.0 | $35,891 | $100,984 |
| 86 | Bennettsville | 85.0 | $37,115 | $81,007 |
| 87 | Union | 85.0 | $31,914 | $136,356 |
| 88 | Marion | 85.0 | $30,662 | $145,562 |
| 89 | Lake City | 85.5 | $33,600 | $126,633 |
| 90 | Kingstree | 89.5 | $26,322 | $113,950 |
| 91 | Denmark | 89.5 | $27,451 | $99,224 |