Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bamberg grades D− overall, 154th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 30 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $50K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Bamberg, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Woodlands and Gen. Francis Marion Bamberg House. Residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates.
Where Bamberg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,607 counted in 2010 and 3,076 in 2020; an estimated 2,920 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 4.9% since 2020, after 14.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Bamberg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 648 in 1880, 3,076 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1920 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bamberg, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bamberg.
Bamberg reports violent crime at about twice the South Carolina rate, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and is a long drive from an emergency room.
Violent crime runs at 10.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 105.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Bamberg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. The violent crime rate in Bamberg is 10.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 47.3 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Bamberg 03 school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Carroll ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 689 | – |
| Bamberg-Ehrhardt HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 383 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests
The typical value, about $145K, is 12% below its June 2024 peak. At about $145K, home values are up 5% in five years, against a rise of 24% across South Carolina.
The typical Bamberg home is worth about $145,000, about the same as a year ago, 52% below the South Carolina typical home. Bamberg’s median rent is $817 a month.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $817 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The nearest emergency room, Allendale County Hospital, is 26.3 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,615 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bamberg’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of Bamberg adults have diabetes. Bamberg beats the South Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 47% of Bamberg adults have high blood pressure.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 21% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bamberg | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.4% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 80.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.5% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 73% of South Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2000, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bamberg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
31.8% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14.1% across South Carolina, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income.
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Bamberg has lost 4.9% of its people since 2020, down to 2,920 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.5 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 23% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.5 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Bamberg | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.7% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.5% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.9% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.3% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.8% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robert E. Foster Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 2. Bamberg County Veterans Memorial | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Bamberg has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bamberg has about as many jobs (1,127) as working residents, but only 179 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Bamberg for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Columbia (7%), Orangeburg (6%) and North Charleston (4%). Half commute less than 30 miles.
| Bamberg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bamberg
About 2 of every 100 Bamberg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4 places in Bamberg on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Bamberg.
City in South Carolina, United States
Bamberg is a city in and the county seat of Bamberg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,607 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bamberg grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #154 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($44,370 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
12 notable people were born here, including Nikki Haley and Mookie Wilson.
