Is Lakewood a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Its weakest subject is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. At D− overall, Lakewood ranks 160th of 167 in South Carolina. Set against the rest, it does behind almost every U.S. town. Homes run about $294K for a typical one, 5.2 times the Sumter metro’s $57K median household income. It also trails on schools: its schools rank behind 82% of the state's. On history, just 5 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than four fifths of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
How Lakewood grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Lakewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
99% of working residents leave Lakewood for work
Where Lakewood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lakewood.
For health, Lakewood earns a D
The share of adults in Lakewood who report frequent mental distress: 19%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Lakewood is ahead of South Carolina on 1 and behind on 20. Among adults locally, 46% have obesity and 46% have high blood pressure.
| Lakewood | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 37% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 40% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lakewood | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.7% | 15.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.4% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For schools, Lakewood earns a C−
Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Lakewood High, with 1,013 students. Public schools: the Sumter 01 school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,013 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Conservation land takes up 1.7% of Lakewood
In Lakewood, the concentration of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. 5.5 miles of trail.
| Lakewood | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Few of Lakewood’s working residents work in town
Lakewood has 303 jobs for its 1,064 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Among residents in Lakewood, 8.2% live below the poverty line. In Lakewood, the average trip to work is 29 minutes, against 24 minutes in South Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Half commute less than 11 miles. The top destinations are Sumter (26%), Columbia (8%) and Manning (3%).
| Lakewood | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Lakewood, expect mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Lakewood: inland flooding
A third of Lakewood’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 29%. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in just over half of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes in Lakewood sell for about $260K
For households in the town, the share who live in a home they own is 71%. In Lakewood, the rent at the middle of the market is $939 a month.
| Lakewood | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $939 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Lakewood
Moving to Lakewood: who provides what
Lakewood is unincorporated, so Sumter 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
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lakewood
About 11 of every 100 Lakewood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
About Lakewood
CDP in South Carolina, United States
Lakewood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,603 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sumter, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 174 ft
Lakewood’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Lakewood.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | #160 | D− | C | — | C− | D |
| South Sumter | — | — | B+ | — | C− | D− |
| Sumter | #155 | D− | C | D− | C− | C |
South Sumter has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lakewood and South Sumter report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lakewood with a neighbor →
Questions about Lakewood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lakewood, SC a good place to live?
Lakewood grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #160 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Lakewood, SC expensive?
The typical home is worth about $294,000, 3% 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 C.
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