Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,626, settled in 1872.
Varnville’s weakest subject grade is a D− for health. The median household income is $56K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Varnville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Hampton County Courthouse and Hattie J. Peeples House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Varnville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
2,162 counted in 2010 and 1,669 in 2020; an estimated 1,626 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Varnville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 553 in 1890, a low of 372 in 1900, 1,669 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1893 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Varnville, 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 Varnville.
24% of Varnville adults have diabetes, against 15% in South Carolina’s towns and 12% across U.S. towns. 51% of Varnville adults have high blood pressure. Varnville beats the South Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20.
| Varnville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 21% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Varnville | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.4% | 80.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hampton school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hampton County High School, with 617 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varnville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 251 | – |
| Hampton County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 617 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests
The typical Varnville home is worth about $167,000, up 1% in a year, 45% below the South Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 2023, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Varnville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Varnville has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. At 92°F, Varnville’s July high is where South Carolina’s towns sit at 91°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Varnville for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in Varnville is 29 minutes. The top destinations are Hampton (10%), Columbia (5%) and Beaufort (4%).
| Varnville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Carolina average. Varnville has lost 3.3% of its people since 2020, down to 1,626 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Varnville | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.8 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
45.4% women, 54.6% men
About 120 men for every 100 women. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 81% are men (SC 51%).
| Varnville | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.1% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.9% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.8% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hampton Recreational park | — | 1 |
| 2. Varnville Gazebo Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Varnville; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Varnville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Varnville is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,169 as of the 2020 census. Varnville forms a twin town with Hampton, the county seat; the two towns often share civic and cultural events.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Varnville.
Varnville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Varnville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Varnville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($44,711 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.