Is East Camden a good place to live?
East Camden grades B− overall and ranks 58th of 167 in South Carolina. Nationally, it does better than 51% of U.S. towns. Its strongest subject is cost of living: a typical home costs about $183K, 2.7 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income. The weak point is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Incomes are weaker too: the median household income is $54K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 19 of South Carolina’s 263 towns score lower on the outdoors. This South Carolina town has 1 place on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places.
How East Camden grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far East Camden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
97% of working residents leave East Camden for work
Where East Camden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in East Camden.
East Camden trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
Most of East Camden’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.7 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 379 in 2013 to 969.
Most working residents leave East Camden for work: only 3% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 590, to 969. The typical journey to work for East Camden comes to 32 minutes, above both South Carolina’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| East Camden | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On state tests, East Camden’s schools beat 60% of South Carolina districts
Public schools: the Kershaw 01 school district. Its two schools are below. 530 students attend East Camden’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 530 | C− |
| Camden Military Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 249 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Mild winters and hot summers in East Camden
East Camden’s peak summer temperature comes in at 91°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More children than South Carolina overall
East Camden: 28% of residents are under 18, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Its median age comes in at 36.5 years. Four-year graduates: just over a fifth of adults 25 and older here, 32% across South Carolina.
| East Camden | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.5 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 24% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 37% and 58% women
The Census survey reached too few of East Camden’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.5 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| East Camden | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 19.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.5% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.8% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,200, single groups can be off by several points
Top of a low hazard risk in East Camden: inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in East Camden, 37% come from inland flooding and 15% from hurricanes. On expected storm and flood damage, East Camden sits below 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
East Camden ranks healthier than 52% of the country’s towns
Against the 7,024 U.S. towns with household incomes like East Camden’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
13% of adults smoke cigarettes in East Camden. The town tracks South Carolina closely on all 32 CDC measures. In East Camden, 16% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 17% worry about having enough food.
| East Camden | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in East Camden sells for about $251K at the median
Homes are within reach (B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 2.7 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 79% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The share of households in East Camden who own their home: 77%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about East Camden
Moving to East Camden: who provides what
East Camden is unincorporated, so Kershaw 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.
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of East Camden; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 East Camden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
About East Camden
Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States
East Camden is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census with a population of 3,215. East Camden is in south-central Kershaw County, bordered to the southwest and south by the city of Camden, the county seat. The CDP includes the community of Du Bose Park. U.S. Route 1 passes through the CDP, leading southwest into Camden and northeast 18 miles (29 km) to Bethune.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 282 ft
East Camden’s neighbors
One town shares a border with East Camden.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Camden | #58 | B− | B+ | — | B | B− |
| Camden | #137 | D | B− | D− | B | C |
East Camden reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare East Camden with a neighbor →
Questions about East Camden
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is East Camden, SC a good place to live?
East Camden grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #58 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B− for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is East Camden, SC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $183,000, 40% 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 B+.
Say something about East Camden.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.