Updated April 2026 · 9 cities · 6 data sources
South Carolina Data Profile 2026: Crime, Schools, Water, Air, Hospitals & City Spending
Crime & Safety
South Carolina has an average safety score of 64.5/100 across 2 cities, above the national average of 61.5/100.
Safest Cities
| City | Safety Score | Grade | Violent Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 65 | B | 245.4 |
| Columbia | 64 | C | 281.7 |
Most Dangerous Cities
| City | Safety Score | Grade | Violent Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 64 | C | 281.7 |
| Charleston | 65 | B | 245.4 |
School Quality
South Carolina cities average a school score of 70/100 across 3 cities.
Top School Districts
| City | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 70 | B |
| Mount Pleasant | 70 | B |
| Spartanburg | 70 | B |
Lowest-Rated Schools
| City | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 70 | B |
| Mount Pleasant | 70 | B |
| Spartanburg | 70 | B |
Water Safety
South Carolina cities average a water safety score of 84.5/100 across 4 cities.
Cleanest Water
| City | Safety Score | Grade | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 100 | A | 0 |
| Greenville | 100 | A | 0 |
| Conway | 100 | A | 0 |
| Columbia | 38 | D | 3 |
Most Water Violations
| City | Safety Score | Grade | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 38 | D | 3 |
| Charleston | 100 | A | 0 |
| Greenville | 100 | A | 0 |
| Conway | 100 | A | 0 |
Air Quality
South Carolina cities average a median AQI of 45.8 across 6 cities.
Best Air Quality
| City | Median AQI | Grade | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken | 39 | B | 0 |
| Anderson | 42 | B | 1 |
| Edgefield | 44 | C | 1 |
| Charleston | 47 | C | 1 |
| Spartanburg | 51 | C | 10 |
Worst Air Quality
| City | Median AQI | Grade | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 52 | C | 4 |
| Spartanburg | 51 | C | 10 |
| Charleston | 47 | C | 1 |
| Edgefield | 44 | C | 1 |
| Anderson | 42 | B | 1 |
Hospital Quality
South Carolina cities have an average hospital quality rating of 3/5 across 9 cities with a total of 26 hospitals tracked.
Top-Rated Hospital Cities
| City | Avg Quality | Hospital Count |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | 5/5 | 2 |
| Columbia | 4/5 | 6 |
| Anderson | 4/5 | 2 |
| Charleston | 3.8/5 | 6 |
| Greenville | 3.7/5 | 4 |
City Spending
South Carolina cities average $24,723.3 in per-capita spending with an average fiscal health score of 57.8/100.
Most Fiscally Efficient
| City | Fiscal Score | Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | 70/100 | $12,111 |
| Columbia | 65/100 | $19,896 |
| Charleston | 50/100 | $23,793 |
| Greenville | 46/100 | $43,093 |
Biggest Spenders (Per Capita)
| City | Per Capita | Fiscal Score |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville | $43,093 | 46/100 |
| Charleston | $23,793 | 50/100 |
| Columbia | $19,896 | 65/100 |
| Mount Pleasant | $12,111 | 70/100 |
According to data compiled by CitySpend.org from 6 federal sources, South Carolina has 9 tracked cities with an average safety score of 64.5, school score of 70, and water safety score of 84.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on FBI crime data, Charleston is the safest city in South Carolina with a safety score of 65/100 (Grade B).
Greenville has the highest average school score in South Carolina at 70/100 (Grade B).
Charleston has the highest water safety score in South Carolina at 100/100 with 0 violations.
Mount Pleasant has the highest fiscal health score in South Carolina at 70/100 with per-capita spending of $12,111.
Aiken has the best air quality in South Carolina with a median AQI of 39 (Grade B).
Cross-site data compiled from CrimeContext, WaterSafe, AirHistory, SchoolGrades, HospitalCosts, and CitySpend databases. Scores reflect the most recent federal data available for each dimension.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. municipal and county government finances distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. cities, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.