Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westminster gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $222K, 3.6 years of the Seneca area’s $62K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 122nd of 167 in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $41K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 88% of the country. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Westminster, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Westminster has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Southern Railway Passenger Station and Retreat Rosenwald School. Westminster's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Westminster beats most towns.
Where Westminster’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 Westminster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 162 in 1880, 2,353 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers and 4 maps from 1886 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westminster. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
19 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
20 mi LakeLake Hartwell
15 mi LakeLake Keowee
23 mi LakeLake Jocassee16 mi WaterfallTallulah GorgeMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Currahee Mountain: Wikilackey (talk), Public domain · Lake Hartwell: blahedo, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lake Keowee: Inundated_38Oc1.jpg: Matthew T. Bradley from Berkshire County, Mass., USA deriva, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westminster, 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 Westminster.
Westminster is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has seen reported crime fall by about half and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
Against the 2,655 U.S. towns with household incomes like Westminster’s, it is healthier than 52%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in Westminster who report frequent physical distress: 18%. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Westminster.
| Westminster | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Westminster | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 13.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 7.5% |
| More smokers | 17.9% | 13.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Oconee 01 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 2 public schools serve Westminster, with 1,041 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Oak MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 656 | C+ |
| Foothills Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 93 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 89 to 42 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Westminster is 2 per 1,000 residents. Within South Carolina, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Westminster | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The mean commuting time for Westminster comes to 22 minutes. Most people who work leave Westminster to do it: just 3% work in town. The top destinations are Walhalla (5%), Greenville (5%) and Clemson (5%). For half of commuters, work is under 15 miles away.
| Westminster | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Westminster’s going rate for rent is $715 a month. The typical Westminster home is worth about $222,000, up 2.4% in a year, 27% below the South Carolina typical home. For households in the town, the share who are owner-occupiers is 68%.
| Westminster | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $715 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
For Westminster, the FEMA hazard score is 27 of 100. FEMA puts 49% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 29% to inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Westminster households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Walhalla weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 203 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 97% of South Carolina places with climate records. The Walhalla weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 44 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 91% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Westminster’s July high stands at 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Westminster
About 2 of every 100 Westminster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
2 places in Westminster on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Westminster.
City in South Carolina, United States
Westminster is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Westminster had a population of 2,353.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Westminster grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #122 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 64% of towns.
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 B+.
5 notable people were born here, including Gresham Barrett and Andy Lee.
