DovesvilleSC
With 1,120 residents, this town was settled in 1882.
Is Dovesville a good place to live?
The best of Dovesville’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. 53% of residents live below the poverty line in Dovesville, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. On health, just 6 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Dovesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,120 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Dovesville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Dovesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Dovesville: who provides what
Dovesville is unincorporated, so Darlington 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dovesville.
Dovesville stands out in South Carolina and nationally, with more of its adults who have high blood pressure
The share of adults in Dovesville who binge drink: 12%. Only 3 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Dovesville. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Dovesville is ahead of South Carolina on 3 and behind on 23.
| Dovesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dovesville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 34.5% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with most of South Carolina and the rest of the country, fewer of Dovesville’s working residents work locally
Half commute less than 18 miles. Since 2013, Dovesville has added 146 jobs, to 157 in 2023. Also worth knowing: among 169 South Carolina towns, just 8 have a lower median household income than Dovesville. In Dovesville, the average commute is 21 minutes.
| Dovesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 6.1% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dovesville has mild winters and hot summers
Dovesville’s peak summer temperature stands at 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest natural risk in Dovesville is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Dovesville, 32% come from inland flooding and 22% from hurricanes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1% of the land in Dovesville is protected from building
1.2 miles of trail. Dovesville’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Dovesville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Dovesville
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Dovesville
About 0 of every 100 Dovesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
100% of working residents leave Dovesville for work
Where Dovesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Dovesville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dovesville, SC expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.