Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,291.
Brookdale earns a D, 147th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. The median household income is $39K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, a typical home costs about $96K, 2.1 years of the Orangeburg area’s $46K median household income. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Brookdale, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Brookdale's schools rank behind 89% of the state's.
4,873 counted in 2010 and 3,845 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Brookdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,724 in 2000, 3,845 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1946 on.
Explore the history →Brookdale is unincorporated, so Orangeburg County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Brookdale.
Brookdale trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and has poverty well above the South Carolina rate.
The nearest emergency room, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown, is 35.3 miles away in a straight line. Against the 2,225 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brookdale’s, it is less healthy than 77%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of Brookdale adults have diabetes. Only 4 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Brookdale. 47% of Brookdale adults have obesity.
| Brookdale | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 28% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Brookdale | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.1% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 43.5% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Orangeburg school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Orangeburg Wilkinson High, with 992 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert E. Howard MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 396 | D |
| Orangeburg Wilkinson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 992 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Brookdale for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Orangeburg (12%), Wilkinson Heights (6%) and Columbia (6%).
| Brookdale | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Brookdale has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Brookdale is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 31 miles. At 2.1 years of the Orangeburg area’s $46K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 90% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
46% of households own their home in Brookdale.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 0 of its 2,322 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Brookdale itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Brookdale’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nix Stilton Road Community Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 2. Orangeburg County Community Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Brookdale
About 13 of every 100 Brookdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Brookdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in South Carolina, United States
Brookdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,724 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Brookdale.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookdale | #147 | D | A− | — | D | D− |
| Orangeburg | #163 | D− | C | D− | D | C− |
| Wilkinson Heights | — | — | B | — | D | D |
Wilkinson Heights has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brookdale and Wilkinson Heights report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Brookdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brookdale grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #147 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $97,000, 68% below the South Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.