Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of St. Matthews’ subject grades are an A− for walkability and history; the weakest is a D for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in St. Matthews, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 17 of South Carolina’s 262 towns score higher on walkability. St. Matthews has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Calhoun County Courthouse and Col. Olin M. Dantzler House. St. Matthews has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where St. Matthews beats most towns.
Where St. Matthews’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far St. Matthews is from typical.
St.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 271 in 1880, a peak of 2,496 in 1980, 1,841 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1946 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in St. Matthews, 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 St. Matthews.
The typical St. 71% of St. Matthews renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 52% in South Carolina’s towns and 48% across U.S. towns. Typical home values rose 6.4% in the year to September 2026.
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 71% | 52% | 48% |
| Median rent | $970 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
St. Matthews’ violent crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents.
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave St. The average trip to work in St. Matthews is 17 minutes. Jobs based in St. Matthews fell to 592 in 2023, 277 fewer than in 2013.
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
20% of St. Matthews adults have diabetes. Only 5 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than St. Matthews. 49% of St. Matthews adults have high blood pressure.
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 40% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | St. Matthews | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.6% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 85.4% | 80.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.9% | 3.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 11% of residents (22% statewide). Only 8 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than St. Matthews. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.3 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 11% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 78 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.8 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| St. Matthews | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 23.1% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.7% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.2% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.7% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Matthews 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| St. Matthews | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of St. Matthews
About 2 of every 100 St. Matthews residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4 places in St. Matthews on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in St. Matthews.
Town in South Carolina, United States
St. Matthews is a town in Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,841 at the 2020 census, a decline from 2,021 in 2010. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. St. Matthews is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town holds an annual Purple Martin festival in April which includes food, music, cars, and more.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($68,359 across the Columbia, SC metro area).
St. 11 notable people were born here, including Viola Davis and James Blood Ulmer.
