Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,071. 2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical South Carolina town.
Trash day: MondayEdisto Beach’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 48% of residents are 65 or older in Edisto Beach, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (18%). On cost of living, just 1 of South Carolina’s 261 towns do worse. Edisto Beach's schools rank behind 90% of the state's. Only 3 of South Carolina’s 152 towns score higher on civic life. Edisto Beach has 19 places on the National Register. Edisto Beach has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Edisto Beach beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Coastal flooding makes up 21% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Edisto Beach is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 193 in 1980, a low of 193 in 1980, 1,033 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2017 and 3 maps from 1920 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Edisto Beach, 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 Edisto Beach.
The typical Edisto Beach home is worth about $715,000, down 1.5% in a year, more than twice the South Carolina typical home. 86% of households own their home in Edisto Beach, above both the South Carolina town median (65%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Edisto Beach | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,136 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Edisto Beach for work: only 8% work in town. 2.5% of Edisto Beach residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Edisto Beach has added 124 jobs, to 503 in 2023.
| Edisto Beach | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 462 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Edisto Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Edisto Beach has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Edisto Beach’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The violent crime rate in Edisto Beach is 0 per 1,000 residents. Edisto Beach's reported crime rate is below South Carolina's. The property crime rate in Edisto Beach is 12.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Edisto Beach | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 12.3 per 1,000 residents | 27.4 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
51% of adults have high blood pressure in Edisto Beach. Edisto Beach beats the South Carolina average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 19% of adults have diabetes in Edisto Beach.
| Edisto Beach | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 40% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Edisto Beach | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.6% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 8.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.8% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Edisto Beach | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Edisto Beach State Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Burley L. Lyons Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Bay Creek Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Edisto Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MuseumUSS Yorktown
Big draw32 mi MuseumH. L. Hunley
31 mi MuseumUSS Laffey
20 mi Park & preserveAngel Oak
29 mi LandmarkFort Wagner
29 mi DamThe BatteryUSS Yorktown: David Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · H. L. Hunley: Sepia wash drawing by R.G. Skerrett, 1902, after a painting then held by the Con, Public domain · USS Laffey: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Angel Oak: Galen Parks Smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wagner: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · The Battery: Eagledj, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Edisto Beach; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Edisto Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Edisto Beach is a town in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. Edisto Beach's population was 1,033 as of the 2020 census, up from 414 in 2010. The town limits include only the developed coastal area of Edisto Island within Colleton County, while the majority of the island consists of unincorporated land in Charleston County. Due to its status as a bedroom community, Edisto Beach is among the most affluent communities in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical South Carolina town.
Yes. That is 14 years of the area's median household income ($51,114 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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