Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,680, settled in 1902.
Cayce earns a D, 130th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 73 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 92% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: it has 10 miles of trail. No town among the 169 in South Carolina we compare has a higher July high than Cayce. 15% of residents are under 18 in Cayce, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Cayce has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William J. Cayce House and Guignard Brick Works.
Where Cayce beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
7.2% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Cayce is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 746 in 1920, 13,781 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1944 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cayce, 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 Cayce.
Cayce has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in South Carolina, draws workers from Columbia and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
15,179 jobs are based in Cayce, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.6 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
Most working residents leave Cayce for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in Cayce is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Cayce grew to 15,179 in 2023, 3,284 more than in 2013.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.1% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lexington 02 school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Airport High, with 1,272 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayce ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 977 | C− |
| Airport HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,272 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 488 to 416 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Cayce’s violent crime rate is 5.4 per 1,000 residents. Cayce reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Cayce’s property crime rate is 25.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The biggest park or preserve is Cayce Riverwalk, at 252 acres.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.2% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve | 2.7 mi | 182 |
| 2. Cayce Riverwalk | 0.7 mi | 252 |
| 3. 3 Rivers Greenway | — | 101 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Cayce home is worth about $210,000, up 2.8% in a year, 31% below the South Carolina typical home. 61% of households own their home in Cayce.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,360 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.7 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
About 119 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.2 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Cayce | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.1% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.2% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
July afternoons average 93.2°, the highest of 475 South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 34.8°.
Cayce has mild winters and hot summers. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cayce.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,423 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cayce’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Cayce beats the South Carolina average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 26% of Cayce adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Cayce | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 40% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Cayce | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.1% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.6% |
| More adults with depression | 25.7% | 22.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cayce. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Stadium & arenaWilliams-Brice Stadium
13 mi National ParkCongaree National Park288K visitors a year10 mi LakeAlcohol and Drug Abuse Lake
18 mi LakeLake Murray
3 mi Stadium & arenaColonial Life Arena
5 mi Zoo & aquariumRiverbanks ZooWilliams-Brice Stadium: SRA MARVIN PRESTON, Public domain · Congaree National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Lake Murray: Greygh0st at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Colonial Life Arena: Dfscgt21, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Riverbanks Zoo: Carlo Giovannetti (Thief12), CC BY-SA 3.0
7 within 15 miles of the center of Cayce
About 11 of every 100 Cayce residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Cayce’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Cayce on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in South Carolina, United States
Cayce ( KAY-see) is a city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. Its population was 12,528 at the 2010 census and rose to 13,789 in the 2020 United States Census, and it is the third-most populated municipality in Lexington County. The city is primarily in Lexington County, with additional, predominantly rural land to the east in Richland County. Cayce is part of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area and is within South Carolina's Midlands region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Cayce.
Columbia next door grades higher for schools (B to Cayce’s C) and lower for cost of living (C to B).
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayce | #130 | D | B | D | C | B− |
| Arthurtown | – | C+ | A+ | — | C | C |
| West Columbia | #131 | D | B− | D− | C | B− |
| Columbia | #124 | C− | C | D | B | B− |
| Springdale | #125 | C− | B− | D | C | C |
| Olympia | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Ridge | — | — | A− | A− | C | C |
Pine Ridge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Arthurtown reports no FBI crime data of its own. Olympia isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cayce with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cayce grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #130 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 43% of towns.
That is 3.1 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.
