United States › South Carolina
Richland County, South Carolina
Population 422,117 · Columbia, Forest Acres, Irmo
- Overall cost of living: −6.3% vs the US average, higher than 74% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 0 in, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−6.3% | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Columbia, SC metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $242,800 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,228 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $198/mo | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,565/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.67% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 6.4% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,637 | higher than 50% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $63,784 | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +7.6% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 407.9 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈223 days | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 92°F | higher than 79% of US counties |
| January low | 34°F | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in | the lowest in the US |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 73 days | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 47 days | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 10.6% of weeks | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈67.5°F | higher than 76% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 46.5 in | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $111/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $71/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $19/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $9.2/yr | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $6.6/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.17/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.3 µg/m³ | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 103.6 mi | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈440.7 ft | higher than 50% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.2% | higher than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 40.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 17.3% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13:1 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 80.4% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.34 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.77 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.89 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.7 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 83/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 8 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.6★ | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 76 yrs | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.1% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 437/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 93/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 73.8% | higher than 66% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 34 min | lower than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 109 min | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.4% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.7% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 12.5% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 110 min | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 55 per sq mi | higher than 82% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 8 per 1k | higher than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 21.7 per 1k | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Population | 422,117 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Median age | 34.4 | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +3.4 per 1k/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 66.4% Dem | higher than 97% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 31.8% Rep | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.8% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 39.4% | lower than 92% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 6.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Black | 46.9% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Asian | 3% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.5% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 129 parks | higher than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.5 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.7 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 135 min | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.9% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 36 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 8 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 266 km | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 47 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 95 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 47 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 38 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 51 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 39 km | higher than 69% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data