Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sumter grades D− overall, ranked 155th of 167 in South Carolina, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 303 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 96% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 82% of South Carolina towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 10 places on the National Register. 31% of working residents work locally in Sumter, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 6.1% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Sumter County Courthouse and Sumter Town Hall-Opera House. On the outdoors, just 23 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better.
Where Sumter beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Sumter Town Hall-Opera House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Central Carolina Technical College | 1,816 |
| University of South Carolina-Sumter | 1,277 |
| Morris College | 408 |
Census counts: 1,356 in 1850, 43,463 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Sumter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sumter, 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 Sumter.
Sumter is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has commutes shorter than most of South Carolina.
Reported crimes fell from 2,051 to 1,473 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Sumter is 7.1 per 1,000 residents. Sumter reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less. The property crime rate in Sumter is 27.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.3 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Sumter 01 school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Drive MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 783 | C |
| Sumter High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,122 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
20 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. Julia Lester Dillon Park, at 91 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Sumter’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Julia Lester Dillon Park | 1.8 mi | 91 |
| 2. Palmetto Park | 1.3 mi | 34 |
| 3. Swan Lake Iris Gardens | 1.2 mi | 35 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Sumter home is worth about $206,000, up 1.8% in a year, 32% below the South Carolina typical home. 57% of households own their home in Sumter.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 65% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 52% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,611 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sumter’s, it is less healthy than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Sumter beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 43% of Sumter adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 21% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Sumter | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Sumter has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.6 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.6 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.8, men 30.1.
| Sumter | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.2% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.7% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The average commute for its 15,010 working residents takes 19.6 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
About one in 3 of Sumter’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Columbia (7%), Florence (2%) and North Charleston (1%). Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Sumter | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 139 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sumter.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Sumter
About 6 of every 100 Sumter residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
3 colleges in town.
10 places in Sumter on the National Register of Historic Places.
46 notable people were born in Sumter.
City in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States
Sumter ( SUM-tər) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The city makes up the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sumter County, along with Clarendon and Lee counties, form the core of Sumter–Lee–Clarendon tri-county (or East Midlands) area of South Carolina that includes three counties straddling the border of the Sandhills (or Midlands), Pee Dee, and Lowcountry regions. The population was 43,463 at the 2020 census, making it the 9th-most populous city in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Sumter.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter | #155 | D− | C | D− | C− | C |
| South Sumter | — | — | B+ | — | C− | D− |
| Mulberry | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Sumter | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lakewood | #160 | D− | C | — | C− | D |
| Cherryvale | #132 | D | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Cane Savannah | — | — | B− | — | C− | C+ |
| Oakland | — | — | A− | — | C− | B |
South Sumter, Cane Savannah and Oakland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Sumter, Lakewood, Cherryvale, Cane Savannah and Oakland report no FBI crime data of their own. Mulberry and East Sumter aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sumter with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sumter grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #155 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 30% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
46 notable people were born here, including Jim Clyburn and Jay Ellis.
