Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Walterboro grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 55 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 90% of South Carolina towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. Walterboro’s violent crime rate is 10 per 1,000 residents, above both the South Carolina town median (3.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Walterboro has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Colleton County Courthouse and Walterboro Library Society Building. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
Where Walterboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Colleton County Courthouse
Census counts: 636 in 1870, 5,544 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1820 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Walterboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Walterboro, 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 Walterboro.
Walterboro draws workers from North Charleston and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and reports violent crime at about twice the South Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 10 per 1,000 residents, about twice the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 106 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Walterboro reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less. The property crime rate in Walterboro is 49.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Colleton 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 472 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
5,012 jobs are based in Walterboro, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Walterboro’s working residents works in town. 28% of Walterboro residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are North Charleston (10%), Charleston (7%) and Columbia (3%).
| Walterboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 28% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Walterboro beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 18% of adults have diabetes in Walterboro.
| Walterboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 14% |
| What stands out | Walterboro | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 15.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.7% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $934 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Walterboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gladys-Whiddon Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Pinckney Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Walterboro home is worth about $213,000, about the same as a year ago, 30% below the South Carolina typical home. Walterboro’s median rent is $965 a month.
| Walterboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $965 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Walterboro has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
28.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14.1% across South Carolina, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. Only 50.7% of households own their home, against 71.9% across South Carolina.
Adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (22% statewide). 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Walterboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.2 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 23% | 29% |
62% women, 38% men
About 62 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.4 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Walterboro | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.7% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Walterboro; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Walterboro residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
Where Walterboro’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Walterboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Walterboro.
City in South Carolina, United States
Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,544 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located 48 miles (77 km) west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin region in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Walterboro grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($51,114 across the county).
16 notable people were born here, including Dean Meminger and William Jones Boone.
