Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,145, settled in 1868. Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
Yemassee’s best subject grades are a B+ for schools and cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Yemassee's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns. Yemassee has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Yemassee beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Fennell Elementary | PK–6 | 140 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Yemassee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 250 in 1910, a low of 250 in 1910, 1,080 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1731 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Yemassee, 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 Yemassee.
Among adults in Yemassee, 13% binge drink, against 15% in South Carolina’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. The town does better than the South Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 20. For adults in the town, the share who have diabetes is 21%.
| Yemassee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 21% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 40% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Yemassee | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.9% | 15.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 31.3% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its one school is below. Yemassee’s only public school teaches 140 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fennell ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 140 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 86% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 56% of Yemassee’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 16% to inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Yemassee households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among households in Yemassee, 62% live in a home they own. Typical home values rose 2.8% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The midsummer high for Yemassee comes to 92°F, above both South Carolina’s towns (91°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For Yemassee, the middle household income is $45,000. Commuting out is the norm here: 5% of working residents work locally. In Yemassee, 27% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Beaufort (8%), Charleston (4%) and Varnville (4%).
| Yemassee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Yemassee’s level of property crime is 24.8 per 1,000 residents. Only 5 of the 91 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher violent offense rate than Yemassee. 14 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Yemassee | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.8 per 1,000 residents | 21.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 0.5 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Moore's Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Yemassee; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Yemassee residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Yemassee () is a town in Hampton and Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census. Located in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Yemassee is divided by the county line between Hampton and Beaufort counties along the roadbed of the CSX railroad. Most of the town's population lies within Hampton County. Yemassee hosts one of the few commercial breeding facilities of non-human primates in the entire United States, Alpha Genesis, which serves as a major employer for the town. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Auldbrass Plantation house and outbuildings lie just outside the town limits of Yemassee. The town is 44 miles (71 km) north of Savannah, Ge…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
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+.