Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,945, settled in 1888. A regional job hub with 2,458 jobs.
The best of Chapin’s subject grades are an A− for schools and an A for civic life. Only 7 of the 91 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Chapin. On civic life, just 1 of South Carolina’s 152 towns do better. Chapin has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ballentine-Shealy House and Robinson-Hiller House. Chapin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Chapin beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Abner Montessori School | PK–5 | 55 |
| Abner Montessori School | PK–5 | 53 |
| Chapin High | 9–12 | 1,617 |
1,445 counted in 2010 and 1,809 in 2020; an estimated 1,945 in 2025.
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 Chapin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 187 in 1900, a low of 187 in 1900, 1,809 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and a map from 1971 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chapin, 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 Chapin.
Most working residents leave Chapin for work: only 7% work in town. Chapin’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, against 24 minutes in South Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 7.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Chapin.
| Chapin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 8.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lexington 05 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Chapin High, with 1,617 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abner Montessori School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 55 | – |
| Chapin HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,617 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
The typical Chapin home is worth about $442,000, up 2.2% in a year, 45% above the South Carolina typical home. Chapin’s median rent is $1,570 a month, above both the South Carolina town median ($1,060 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 86% of Chapin households own their home.
| Chapin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,570 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Chapin beats the South Carolina average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Chapin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chapin | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 17.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Chapin since 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chapin has mild winters and hot summers. Chapin’s July high is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The property crime rate in Chapin is 14.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Carolina average. Chapin has grown 7.9% since 2020, to 1,945 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Chapin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 43 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Chapin | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.9% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
None within 15 miles of Chapin; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Chapin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Chapin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 notable people were born in Chapin.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Chapin, South Carolina is a town located in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. Chapin had a population of 1,809 at the 2020 census. Chapin is located approximately 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Columbia, South Carolina.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 6.5 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Iron & Wine and Savannah McCaskill.
