As if there isn’t enough to worry about with unruly Ravenels in Charleston and vicious alligators on Hilton Head Island, there are also super dangerous places in the Palmetto State.
South Carolina is, after all, the sixth most dangerous states in the country, so no one should really be too surprised. And because RoadSnacks thinks it’s important to provide important information to the public, we created a list of the most dangerous places in South Carolina for 2020.
How’d we determine the most dangerous places in South Carolina? We consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 57 cities. We looked at the FBI’s latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents.
Some might say it’s because of drugs and alcohol, some might say the state needs to offer better jobs with competitive salaries, and some might say that it’s just people being people; any way you look at it, the numbers don’t lie. The state’s violent crime and property crime numbers are above the national average and climbing.
Let’s be real, we’re not talking about driving a boat without life jackets kind of danger. The type of danger we’re talking about gets people on Dillon’s WPDE at six. Folks, the cities that made our list have robberies happening in broad daylight, car jackings, and daily shootings. There are neighborhoods in these cities that you shouldn’t drive thru, ever.
Want to know the South Carolina places where jobs are scarce, wages low, crime high-where your Southern Charm will get you absolutely nowhere? Keep reading.
Here are the 10 most dangerous cities in South Carolina for 2020:
Yes, there are about 260 police officers per 100,000 residents, but they just can’t be everywhere. So, cities like Myrtle Beach and Greenwood are starting to feel the effects; but the place that’s getting hit the worst, is South Carolina’s most dangerous place, Myrtle Beach.
So, if you want to know the top ten most dangerous South Carolina places–where you shouldn’t let your kids out after dark–take a look at the list below. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in South Carolina.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In South Carolina
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In South Carolina
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In South Carolina
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In South Carolina
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In South Carolina For 2020
Folks on the East Coast love vacationing in Myrtle Beach — lovely beaches and boardwalks make it seem quite a safe summer retreat.
Yet a roughly 1 in 9.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime makes it one of the few places where wearing a wallet chain may not be a bad idea. And unfortunately for residents and vacationers alike, both violent and property crime has been steadily rising over the past few years.
I loved Myrtle Beach. It was like something out of a movie. It is a tourist destination for sure, but there’s an ambience and a magical quality to it that is simply unmatched by other places I have been to.
The beach, of course. The food. The emptiness of the off season. The beauty of its location.
Hartsville is less violent than some others on the list but makes up for it with a high rate of property crime.
There’s a 1 in 11.6 chance of being the victim of a property crime in a city of 7,608 people, so chances are everyone here knows someone who’s been a victim. But, like most of the other cities on this list, both violent and property crimes have been decreasing.
Compared to Myrtle Beach, Marion has seen a continuous drop in crime of late — just not at a quick enough rate to get it off this list.
And with residents still facing a 9% chance of being the victim of a property crime, there’s little cause for celebration. In fact, the latest FBI report shows that there were 98 violent crimes in a town of only 6,416 in 2018.
One of the few cities on the list with a population over 10,000, Greenwood has seen a decrease in violent crimes in recent years, along with a decrease in property crime. But even with these improvements, there is still a 1 in 59 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Greenwood, which is a higher chance than some of the previous cities listed.
The 5th most dangerous city in South Carolina goes to West Columbia.
And much like a walk in a major city park, you need to watch for muggers and property theft as it ranks as having the highest rate of property theft in the Palmetto State. You had a 1 in 13.4 chance of being a victim of a property crime in 2018 in West Columbia.
It’s not totally clear why the property crime rate is so high. People live spread out, unemployment is relatively high — but not super high — and poverty isn’t as bad as in some other parts of the state.
Darlington ranks relatively poorly in both categories of crime in South Carolina.
That left Darlington’s residents with a 1 in 88 shot of being the victim of violence in 2018. Additionally, it ranked 6th for property crime.
I live in Darlington… we ranked #1 and I just laugh. If you fooktards are getting worked up over this stuff, you need to get a life.
Camden isn’t great in the violent crime category, with a 1 in 77 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in 2018. On average, though, the amount of property crime is about the same as other places on the list, despite Camden’s larger population.
Unlike most other cities on this list, Camden has experienced an increase in violent crime over the 2017-2018 period, while property crime has remained fairly stagnant.
I lived in Camden in the late 1980’s and loved it. It’s a beautiful, historic town.
Located in the heart of the Palmetto State, Cheraw has the 7th worst rate of property crime in the state, with residents facing a 1 in 13th chance of being the victim of theft or arson in 2018.
The city had a 1 in 96 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in 2018.
I am from Chesterfied and to say Cheraw is one of the worst places in the state to live is outrageous. The towns of Chesterfield and Cheraw may be rivals in sports but that’s where it stops with me. The historic downtown part is beautiful. It has many great people and great businesses! I have many friends and family members that live in Cheraw that will certainly agree with me.
Orangeburg experienced a drop in its property crime rate between 2017-2018.
That’s a difference of residents having about a 1 in 15 shot of being the victim of theft or arson at the beginning to a 1 in 17.1 shot in 2018.
Violent crime, meanwhile, remained at around the same level.
Batesburg-Leesville experienced a rise in violent crime between 2017-2018.
Still, the 1 in 58 chance Batesburg-Leesville residents faced of being the victim of violence in 2018 is still lower than other places in the state.
Meanwhile, you have a 1 in 21.1 chance of being the victim of a property crime, making Batesburg-Leesville the 23rd worst city in South Carolina with regards to theft and arson.
How Is Your Town In ?
How we determined the most dangerous cities in South Carolina for 2020?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2018 data, specifically the 2018 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2020.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 57 cities in South Carolina.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 57 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in South Carolina — Myrtle Beach.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in South Carolina.
Locking It All Up In South Carolina
The latest FBI crime data shows that Myrtle Beach ranks as the most dangerous city in South Carolina for 2020.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Myrtle Beach and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in South Carolina:
- Tega Cay (Pop. 10,763)
- Mount Pleasant (Pop. 89,733)
- Port Royal (Pop. 13,227)
For more South Carolina reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In South Carolina
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In South Carolina
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In South Carolina
- 10 Safest Places In South Carolina
- 10 Worst Places To Live In South Carolina
Where Are The Most Dangerous Cities In South Carolina?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach | 33,687 |
| 2 | Hartsville | 7,608 |
| 3 | Marion | 6,416 |
| 4 | Greenwood | 23,265 |
| 5 | West Columbia | 17,368 |
| 6 | Darlington | 5,960 |
| 7 | Camden | 7,215 |
| 8 | Cheraw | 5,611 |
| 9 | Orangeburg | 12,820 |
| 10 | Batesburg-Leesville | 5,380 |
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