Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Batesburg-Leesville earns a D, 129th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 93% of U.S. towns, including 56 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 83% of the country. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. Batesburg-Leesville’s violent crime rate is 10.5 per 1,000 residents, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 3.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Its National Register listings include Batesburg Commercial Historic District and Simon Bouknight House. Batesburg-Leesville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Batesburg-Leesville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A. C. Jones House
Census counts: 286 in 1880, 5,270 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Batesburg-Leesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Batesburg-Leesville, 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 Batesburg-Leesville.
Batesburg-Leesville trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it reports violent crime at about twice the South Carolina rate and is a long drive from an emergency room.
Violent crime runs at 10.5 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. Reported crimes rose from 150 to 196 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Batesburg-Leesville’s property crime rate is 26.2 per 1,000 residents. Batesburg-Leesville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. Within South Carolina, it does better than 38% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Lexington 03 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Batesburg-Leesville High School, with 545 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batesburg-Leesville Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 525 | – |
| Batesburg-Leesville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 545 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge, is 22.1 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,662 U.S. towns with household incomes like Batesburg-Leesville’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
45% of Batesburg-Leesville adults have high blood pressure. Batesburg-Leesville beats the South Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 13% of Batesburg-Leesville adults binge drink.
| Batesburg-Leesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Batesburg-Leesville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.5% | 15.7% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 83.7% | 80.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.3% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $179K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.6 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $179K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Batesburg-Leesville home is worth about $179,000, up 3.4% in a year, 41% below the South Carolina typical home. The median rent in Batesburg-Leesville is $958 a month.
| Batesburg-Leesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $958 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Batesburg-Leesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Batesburg-Leesville has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 34° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Batesburg-Leesville for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Batesburg-Leesville grew to 2,895 in 2023, 468 more than in 2013. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Batesburg-Leesville.
| Batesburg-Leesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Batesburg-Leesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Twin City High Community Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Batesburg-Leesville Town Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Batesburg-Leesville; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Batesburg-Leesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
19 places in Batesburg-Leesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Batesburg-Leesville.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Batesburg-Leesville is a town located in Lexington and Saluda counties, South Carolina, United States. The town's population was 5,362 as of the 2010 census and an estimated 5,415 in 2019.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Batesburg-Leesville grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #129 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 38% of towns.
Not for the area. That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($68,359 across the Columbia, SC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Andy Duncan and Maurice Simpkins.
