Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cheraw earns a D−, 156th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 51 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $27K, and 37% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 4 places on the National Register. 37% of residents live below the poverty line in Cheraw, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 169 in South Carolina we compare has a lower average trip to work than Cheraw. Cheraw is home to Northeastern Technical College.
Where Cheraw beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
5,851 counted in 2010 and 5,040 in 2020; an estimated 4,921 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 Cheraw is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 918 in 1880, 5,040 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1770 and 3 maps from 1942 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Cheraw, 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 Cheraw.
Cheraw draws workers from Bennettsville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the South Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 10.3 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−. At 99.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Cheraw reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. Cheraw’s violent crime rate is 10.3 per 1,000 residents. Among 90 South Carolina towns, just 5 have a higher property crime rate than Cheraw.
| Cheraw | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 54.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Chesterfield 01 school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cheraw High, with 603 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheraw PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 443 | – |
| Cheraw HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 603 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
5,676 jobs are based in Cheraw, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.8 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
30% of Cheraw working residents work locally. Jobs based in Cheraw grew to 5,676 in 2023, 351 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Charlotte (4%), Florence (4%) and Bennettsville (3%).
| Cheraw | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $27,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 304 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cheraw’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Cheraw beats the South Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 21% of adults have diabetes in Cheraw. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Cheraw.
| Cheraw | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 40% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cheraw | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.1% | 80.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 30.2% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At about $163K, home values are up 5% in five years, against a rise of 24% across South Carolina. 67.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across South Carolina.
The typical Cheraw home is worth about $163,000, up 3.6% in a year, 47% below the South Carolina typical home. The median rent in Cheraw is $800 a month.
| Cheraw | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $800 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Cheraw | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.2 mi | 14 |
| 2. Southside Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Dizzy Gillespie Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Cheraw weather station records that about 52 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 78% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Cheraw has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 32° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cheraw.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cheraw
About 7 of every 100 Cheraw residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
Where Cheraw’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Cheraw on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Cheraw.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Cheraw ( chə-RAW, locally shə-RAW) is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2020 census. The greater Cheraw area in the zip code 29520 has a population of 13,689 according to the 2019 ACS data. It has been nicknamed "The Prettiest Town in Dixie".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cheraw grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #156 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($49,235 across the county).
13 notable people were born here, including Dizzy Gillespie and David Thornton.
