Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,660.
James Island is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 4th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country, the median household earns $104K, and its schools outperform 86% of the state's. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 1 have a higher January low than James Island. James Island's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 9 have a higher share of households owning their home than James Island.
Where James Island beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | James Island | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.6% | 13.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Camp Road Middle | 6–8 | 901 |
Where James Island’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far James Island is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 4%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1846 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around James Island. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi MuseumUSS Yorktown
Big draw9 mi MuseumH. L. Hunley
5 mi MuseumUSS Laffey
7 mi Park & preserveAngel Oak
5 mi LandmarkFort Wagner
4 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in James Island, 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 James Island.
James Island has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of South Carolina, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Its widest gap with South Carolina is tooth loss: 5.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.9% statewide.
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in James Island, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 36%. 23% of James Island adults binge drink. Only 6 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than James Island.
| James Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | James Island | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.6% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 17.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 22.6% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Charleston 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Road MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 901 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $309 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 75 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 19 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1989, 75 flood insurance claims have been paid out in James Island.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 1,555 in 2013 to 2,102.
Most working residents leave James Island for work: only 4% work in town. James Island’s median household income is $104,000, above both the South Carolina town median ($57,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 5.6% of residents live below the poverty line in James Island.
| James Island | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 8.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Charleston Intl Ap weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 266 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 40.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.8°.
James Island has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. James Island’s July high is 90°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 6 years of the Charleston metro’s $85K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 92% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The median rent in James Island is $1,695 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of James Island
About 2 of every 100 James Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4 places in James Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in South Carolina, United States
James Island is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is located in the central and southern parts of James Island. James Island is included within the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area and the Charleston Urbanized Area. As of the 2020 census, James Island had a population of 11,621.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with James Island.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Island | #4 | A | C+ | — | A | A+ |
| Charleston | #57 | B− | C− | C− | B+ | A |
James Island reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare James Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. James Island grades A overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #4 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $509,000, 67% above 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 C+.
2 notable people were born here, including Joseph Attles and Morris Grant.
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