Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bishopville earns a D−, 159th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, including 22 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 11 places on the National Register. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Bishopville, against 17% in South Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Lee County Courthouse and William Apollos James House. Only 4 of the 166 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median rent than Bishopville.
Where Bishopville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lee County Courthouse| Widest gap | Bishopville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.5% | 8.9% |
Census counts: 144 in 1880, 3,024 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and a map from 1986 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Bishopville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bishopville, 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 Bishopville.
Bishopville draws workers from Florence and beyond, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
24% of Bishopville adults have diabetes. No town among the 169 in South Carolina we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Bishopville. 47% of Bishopville adults have obesity.
| Bishopville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 28% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bishopville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.3% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.8% | 80.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lee 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 359 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
At 2.8 years of the county’s $45K median household income, the typical home (about $126K) costs less against local pay than in 76% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The typical value, about $126K, is 25% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Bishopville home is worth about $126,000, down 6.5% in a year, 59% below the South Carolina typical home. 44% of households own their home in Bishopville.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The violent crime rate in Bishopville is 7.7 per 1,000 residents. Bishopville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. The property crime rate in Bishopville is 29.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Bishopville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1,906 jobs are based in Bishopville, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Bishopville for work: only 14% work in town. Bishopville’s median household income is $39,000. The top destinations are Columbia (6%), Florence (5%) and Sumter (4%).
| Bishopville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Hartsville weather station, 17 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 224 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 75% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Bishopville has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 2000, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bishopville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bishopville
About 4 of every 100 Bishopville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
3,471 counted in 2010 and 3,024 in 2020; an estimated 2,829 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 6.2% since 2020, after 12.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Bishopville on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Bishopville.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Bishopville is a town in Lee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,471 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bishopville grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #159 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health, D for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 35% of towns.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($44,760 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 B.
7 notable people were born here, including Henry E. Brown and Drink Small.
