Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hampton grades D− overall, ranked 164th of 167 in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 28 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $43K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. Hampton’s violent crime rate is 10.9 per 1,000 residents, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 3.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. On cost of living, just 15 of South Carolina’s 261 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Cohasset and Hampton Colored School.
Where Hampton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Hampton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 169 in 1880, 2,694 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampton, 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 Hampton.
Hampton is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and reports violent crime at 3 times the South Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 10.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−.
The property crime rate in Hampton is 28.7 per 1,000 residents. Hampton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less. Within South Carolina, it does better than 30% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Hampton school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton ElementaryLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 275 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests
Against the 3,482 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hampton’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Hampton beats the South Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 20% of Hampton adults have diabetes.
| Hampton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hampton | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.6% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83% | 80.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of South Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Hampton’s FEMA risk score is 86 of 100. Since 2005, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hampton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $181K, is 8% below its September 2024 peak.
The typical Hampton home is worth about $181,000, up 5.6% in a year, 41% below the South Carolina typical home.
| Hampton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $909 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hampton has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hampton has about as many jobs (1,238) as working residents, but only 128 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 1,854 in 2013 to 1,238.
Most working residents leave Hampton for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Hampton has lost 616 jobs, to 1,238 in 2023. The top destinations are Varnville (9%), Columbia (4%) and North Charleston (4%).
| Hampton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Open Arms Ball park | — | 6 |
| 2. Kinard Lane | — | 5 |
| 3. Lightsey Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Hampton; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Hampton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
5 places in Hampton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Hampton is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,694 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hampton County. The town and the county are named after Wade Hampton III, a Confederate general in the Civil War.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hampton.
Varnville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Varnville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hampton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hampton grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #164 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−.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 30% of towns.
Yes. That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($44,711 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 C−.
