Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ninety Six’s best subject grades are an A for schools and history; its weakest is a D for incomes. 32% of residents are under 18 in Ninety Six, above both South Carolina’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. Among 91 South Carolina towns, just 8 have a lower property crime rate than Ninety Six. Ninety Six’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in South Carolina’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On history, just 13 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better. Ninety Six's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Ninety Six has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ninety Six beats most towns.
Ninety Six National Historic Site| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ninety Six Elementary School | 3–5 | 299 |
| Ninety Six Primary School | PK–2 | 283 |
| Edgewood Middle School | 6–8 | 354 |
Census counts: 468 in 1880, 2,076 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 2 maps from 1949 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Ninety Six is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ninety Six, 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 Ninety Six.
Its public schools are run by the Greenwood 52 school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ninety Six High School, with 423 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgewood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 354 | B− |
| Ninety Six High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 423 | A− |
| Ninety Six Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 299 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
The typical Ninety Six home is worth about $177,000, up 3.8% in a year, 42% below the South Carolina typical home. Ninety Six’s median rent is $845 a month.
| Ninety Six | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $845 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Ninety Six for work: only 6% work in town. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Ninety Six. Jobs based in Ninety Six fell to 378 in 2023, 54 fewer than in 2013.
| Ninety Six | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Ninety Six | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 40 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Ninety Six | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 19.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.2% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.2% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
Ninety Six has mild winters and hot summers. The July high in Ninety Six is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ninety Six Town Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Ninety Six tracks South Carolina closely on all 32 CDC measures. 25% of Ninety Six adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Ninety Six | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ninety Six
About 3 of every 100 Ninety Six residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Ninety Six’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Ninety Six on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Ninety Six.
Historic town in South Carolina
Ninety Six is a town in Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States, about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of the county seat, Greenwood. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 2,096, making it the second-largest municipality in the county behind the City of Greenwood. The town covers a total area of 1.82 square miles, all of which is land.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($52,860 across the Greenwood, SC 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 Odean Pope and Elliott Crayton McCants.
