Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 775, settled in 1940.
28% of residents live below the poverty line in Santee, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Santee has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Santee beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 107 in 1950, 797 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 3 maps from 1921 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Santee, 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 Santee.
Most working residents leave Santee for work: only 7% work in town. Santee’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs based in Santee fell to 803 in 2023, 164 fewer than in 2013.
| Santee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.7% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Santee has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Santee is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Santee home is worth about $246,000, up 3.6% in a year, 19% below the South Carolina typical home. Santee’s median rent is $911 a month.
| Santee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $911 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (19% statewide). Santee has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 775 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Santee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 47.4 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 23% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.8 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Santee | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.8% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.6% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.8% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.7% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.5% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
37 crimes were reported in Santee in 2025: 27 property and 10 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Santee is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
23% of adults have diabetes in Santee. No town among the 170 in South Carolina we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Santee. 43% of adults have obesity in Santee.
| Santee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 40% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 80% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Santee | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.6% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 86.5% | 80.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 7.1% | 3.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Santee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Santee; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Santee residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Santee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in South Carolina, United States
Santee is a town in Orangeburg County along the Santee River Valley in central South Carolina, United States. It has become a resort town of note located centrally north-south along the Atlantic Seaboard of South Carolina. The region has been rural, with a primarily agricultural economy typical of Orangeburg County, but is now known primarily for its several golf courses in proximity to Lake Marion, Santee State Park and other Lake Marion attractions. Interstate 95 connects its attractions easily with tourists traveling by automobile. I-95 crosses a narrow arm of the lake into the town lands, along a causeway. Lake Marion is a man-made hydroelectric reservoir, which at 110,000 acres (450 km…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Santee has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.