Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ridgeville’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 25 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Ridgeville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns. Cypress Methodist Camp Ground is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ridgeville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ridgeville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Cypress Methodist Camp Ground1,979 counted in 2010 and 1,672 in 2020; an estimated 1,230 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Ridgeville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 250 in 1880, 1,672 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1920 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ridgeville, 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 Ridgeville.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Dorchester 04 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Hill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 174 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
0.6% of working residents work locally in Ridgeville, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 6.1% and U.S. towns at 8%. The average trip to work in Ridgeville is 30 minutes. The top destinations are North Charleston (23%), Summerville (11%) and Charleston (8%).
| Ridgeville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ridgeville has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. At 93°F, Ridgeville’s July high is above both South Carolina’s towns (91°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ridgeville beats the South Carolina average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 45% of Ridgeville adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 170 South Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Ridgeville.
| Ridgeville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 23% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Ridgeville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.4% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.3% | 28.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Ridgeville home is worth about $357,000, up 0.7% in a year, 17% above the South Carolina typical home. Ridgeville’s median rent is $1,393 a month.
| Ridgeville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,393 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the 95 South Carolina towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Ridgeville. Ridgeville's reported crime rate is well below South Carolina's.
| Ridgeville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 29 | 14.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 5 | 1.9 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Ridgeville; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Ridgeville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Ridgeville is a town in Dorchester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,672 at the 2020 census, down from 1,979 at the 2010 census and below the level of 2000. Ridgeville is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.