Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church · National Register of Historic Places
St. Charles’s story
135 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1891St. Charles is settled
St. CharlesSC
The town was settled in 1891 and has 139 residents today.
Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church · Photo: Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
139
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$274K
Census ACS
Household income
$35K
median
Median age
34.9
years
Jobs based here
50
Balanced
Is St. Charles a good place to live?
100% of households own their home in St. Charles, above both the South Carolina town median (65%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Charles has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
139 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to St. Charles: who provides what
St. Charles is unincorporated, so Lee County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerBlack River Electric Coop15.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLee CountyLee County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLee Board of Voter RegistrationLee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2024
ZIP codes29104, 2901029104 68% · 29010 32%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in St. Charles.
Schools
The schools St. Charles’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Lee 01 school district. 128 students attend St. Charles’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Lee ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 128 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter36–58°
Spring50–75°
Summer69–90°
Fall52–76°
Nov 15
typical first frost
Mar 19
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
St. Charles has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Among residents in St. Charles, 7.2% live below the poverty line. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Bishopville (10%), Florence (8%) and Charlotte (6%). Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles.
2%work in town
| St. Charles | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 6.1% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In St. Charles2%
Bishopville10%
Florence8%
Charlotte6%
Sumter6%
20 mi
median commute distance
50
jobs based in St. Charles
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in St. Charles: hurricanes
32% of St. Charles’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 19%. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 63% of U.S. communities.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy St. Charles is
The share of adults in St. Charles who smoke cigarettes: 17%. CDC measures, 32 in all: St. Charles beats South Carolina on 3 and trails on 18. 48% of adults here have high blood pressure; 43% sleep under 7 hours.
| St. Charles | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 40% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 21% | 14% |
32 measures vs. South Carolina
3 better11 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | St. Charles | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.9% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.4% | 17.4% |
Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital
12.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St. Charles
16pages on St. Charles
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of St. Charles
Morris CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Sumter12 mi$16,664 tuitionCentral Carolina Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sumter13.2 mi$5,715 in-state tuitionUniversity of South Carolina-SumterCommunity college · Public · Sumter13.2 mi$7,558 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 St. Charles residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Questions about St. Charles
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is St. Charles, SC a good place to live?
St. Charles has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.