Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,305, laid out in 1785.
Winnsboro gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $159K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income. It grades C− overall, 114th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally, and the median household income is $37K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. Its National Register listings include Winnsboro Historic District and Rural Point. Winnsboro’s typical household income is $37,000, against $57,000 in South Carolina’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Winnsboro is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Winnsboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Ketchin Building| Widest gap | Winnsboro | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.9% | 8.9% |
Census counts: 355 in 1860, 3,215 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1904 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 Winnsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winnsboro, 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 Winnsboro.
Winnsboro trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, trades workers with Columbia and other neighbors and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
Among 169 South Carolina towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Winnsboro. 52% of adults have high blood pressure here. The town beats the South Carolina average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24.
| Winnsboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Winnsboro | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 15.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.3% | 80.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The largest public high school is Fairfield Central High, with 619 students. The public schools here belong to the Fairfield 01 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 311 | C− |
| Fairfield Central HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 619 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $159K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles. At 2.3 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $159K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The share of households in Winnsboro who own their home: 51%. Typical home values rose 2.3% in the year to September 2026. For Winnsboro, the midpoint rent is $856 a month.
| Winnsboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $856 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Winnsboro weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 221 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 77% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Winnsboro’s midsummer high comes in at 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
30% of Winnsboro’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 23%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Winnsboro households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Winnsboro has about as many jobs (1,237) as working residents, but only 162 people both live and work here.
Since 2013, Winnsboro has lost 72 jobs, to 1,237 in 2023. 11% of Winnsboro working residents work locally. The top destinations are Columbia (11%), Winnsboro Mills (2%) and Greenville (2%).
| Winnsboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
12 violent crimes were reported in 2022. In Winnsboro, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 23.4 per 1,000 residents. Winnsboro's reported crime rate is close to South Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Winnsboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.2 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 23.4 per 1,000 residents | 29.5 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Trails total 0.7 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Winnsboro’s concentration of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Winnsboro | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fortune Springs Park | 0.2 mi | 18 |
| 2. Drawdy Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Winnsboro; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Winnsboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
7 places in Winnsboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Winnsboro.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. Its population was 3,550 at the 2010 census. The population was 3,215 at the 2020 census, a population decrease around 9.5% for the same 10-year period. It is the county seat of Fairfield County. Winnsboro is part of the Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan aream as well as a suburb of Columbia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Winnsboro.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnsboro | #114 | C− | B+ | — | C+ | D− |
| Winnsboro Mills | — | — | B− | — | C+ | D− |
Winnsboro Mills has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Winnsboro and Winnsboro Mills report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Winnsboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Winnsboro grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #114 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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+.
23 notable people were born here, including Miriam Stevenson and Thomas J. Robertson.
