Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
St. Stephen’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. St. Stephen’s property crime rate is 50.2 per 1,000 residents, above both South Carolina’s towns (29) and U.S. towns (14.1). Only 9 of South Carolina’s 261 towns score higher on cost of living. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. St. Stephen's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Stephen has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where St. Stephen beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church| Widest gap | St. Stephen | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37% | 13.9% |
Census counts: 79 in 1880, 1,571 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far St. Stephen is from typical.
St.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in St. Stephen, 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. Stephen.
48% of adults have obesity in St. Stephen, above both the South Carolina town median (37%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 24% of St. Stephen adults have diabetes. Only 2 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than St. Stephen.
| St. Stephen | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 23% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | St. Stephen | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.9% | 80.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Berkeley 01 school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stephen ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 430 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
One flood insurance claim has been paid in St. Stephen since 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
St. Stephen’s average trip to work is 36 minutes. Jobs based in St. Stephen fell to 419 in 2023, 61 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave St.
| St. Stephen | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The July high in St. Stephen is 92°F. Stephen has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical St. 59% of households own their home in St. Stephen. Stephen home is worth about $244,000, up 2.3% in a year, 20% below the South Carolina typical home.
| St. Stephen | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,148 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Stephen's reported crime rate is well above South Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 11 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of St. Stephen; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 St. Stephen residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where St. Stephen’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in St. Stephen.
Town in South Carolina, United States
St. Stephen or Saint Stephen is a town in Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, St. Stephen had a population of 1,571. St. Stephen is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with St. Stephen.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stephen | — | — | A+ | — | B− | D− |
| Russellville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
St. Stephen has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. St. Stephen reports no FBI crime data of its own. Russellville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare St. Stephen with a neighbor →
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+.
St. 4 notable people were born here, including DeWitt Williams and Lance Legree.