Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lake City earns a D−, 157th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, including 108 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $34K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. Lake City’s violent crime rate is 18.3 per 1,000 residents, against 3.9 in South Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. On history, just 25 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country.
Where Lake City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 374 in 1900, 5,903 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Lake City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake City, 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 Lake City.
Lake City trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the South Carolina rate and is a long drive from an emergency room.
Violent crime runs at 18.3 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 115.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Lake City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. The property crime rate in Lake City is 37.5 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Florence 03 school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City Early Childhood CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 357 | – |
| Lake City HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 492 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $127K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.3 years of the Florence metro’s $54K median household income, the typical home (about $127K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Lake City home is worth about $127,000, up 1.9% in a year, 58% below the South Carolina typical home. 44% of households own their home in Lake City.
| Lake City | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $702 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The nearest emergency room, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, is 20 miles away in a straight line. Against the 1,019 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake City’s, it is healthier than 61%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of Lake City adults have diabetes. Lake City beats the South Carolina average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 50% of Lake City adults have high blood pressure.
| Lake City | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 21% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lake City | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lake City has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Lake City’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Lake City for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Lake City has lost 279 jobs, to 1,598 in 2023. Only 10 of the 168 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median household income than Lake City.
| Lake City | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake City Park, at 49 acres.
| Lake City | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake City Park | 0.4 mi | 49 |
| 2. Blanding Street Park | — | 26 |
| 3. Martha Law Municipal Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake City
About 4 of every 100 Lake City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
6,675 counted in 2010 and 5,903 in 2020; an estimated 5,940 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Lake City on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Lake City.
City in South Carolina, United States
Lake City is a city in Florence County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lake City had a population of 5,903. Located in central South Carolina, it is south of Florence and included as part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake City grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #157 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($54,443 across the Florence, SC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Ronald McNair and Derrick Burgess.
