Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Orangeburg earns a D−, 163rd of 167 graded towns in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 99% of U.S. towns, with 153 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $39K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 25 places on the National Register. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Orangeburg, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include All Star Bowling Lane and Hodge Hall. On cost of living, just 25 of South Carolina’s 261 towns do worse.
Where Orangeburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 997 in 1860, a low of 246 in 1870, 13,240 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
25 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Orangeburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orangeburg, 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 Orangeburg.
Orangeburg draws workers from Brookdale and beyond, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the South Carolina rate and is a long drive from an emergency room.
8.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Plaza | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Orangeburg school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 625 | C |
| First Southern Methodist CHR & Wesley Christian SC PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 43 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 11.4 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−. At 108.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Orangeburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. The violent crime rate in Orangeburg is 11.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 42.2 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
8,197 jobs are based in Orangeburg, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 10,289 in 2013 to 8,197.
Since 2013, Orangeburg has lost 2,092 jobs, to 8,197 in 2023. The top destinations are Columbia (6%), Wilkinson Heights (5%) and North Charleston (4%). Half commute less than 32 miles.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 8.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The nearest emergency room, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown, is 36.9 miles away in a straight line. Against the 2,015 U.S. towns with household incomes like Orangeburg’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Orangeburg beats the South Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 13% of Orangeburg adults binge drink.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Orangeburg | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.8% | 15.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 16.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Orangeburg home is worth about $166,000, up 3.6% in a year, 46% below the South Carolina typical home. 45% of households own their home in Orangeburg.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $848 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 28 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Orangeburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
32.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14.1% across South Carolina, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $38,635, against $69,324 across South Carolina.
Adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). Orangeburg’s median age is 36.4 years. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Orangeburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.4 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Orangeburg | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 22.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.8% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.6% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.1% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.3% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.7% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.9% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Orangeburg has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Orangeburg
College town 20 of every 100 Orangeburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
2 colleges in town.
25 places in Orangeburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Orangeburg.
City in South Carolina, United States
Orangeburg is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2020 census. The city is located 37 miles southeast of Columbia, on the north fork of the Edisto River. Two historically black institutions of higher education are located in Orangeburg: Claflin University (a liberal arts college) and South Carolina State University (a public university).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Orangeburg.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg | #163 | D− | C | D− | D | C− |
| Edisto | — | — | B+ | — | D | D |
| Wilkinson Heights | — | — | B | — | D | D |
| Brookdale | #147 | D | A− | — | D | D− |
Edisto and Wilkinson Heights have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Edisto, Wilkinson Heights and Brookdale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Orangeburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Orangeburg grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #163 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($45,675 across the Orangeburg, 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 C.
47 notable people were born here, including Shawnee Smith and Shelton Benjamin.
