Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
York gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $351K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, 108th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 50 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. York’s property crime rate is 30.2 per 1,000 residents, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 21.1 and U.S. towns at 9.9. York's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. York has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them York Historic District and York County Courthouse.
Where York beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Wilson House
Census counts: 511 in 1850, 8,503 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and a map from 1982 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 York is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in York, 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 York.
York carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of South Carolina (mostly inland flooding), sends many workers across the state line to Charlotte and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
York’s violent crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. York reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Within South Carolina, it does better than 43% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the York 01 school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| York MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 789 | C− |
| York Comprehensive HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,511 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
43% of adults have obesity in York. York beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 24% of adults worry about having enough food in York.
| York | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | York | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.8% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 24.4% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $148 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in York is 14 of 100. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in York.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Charlotte Douglas Ap weather station, 22 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 221 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 86% of South Carolina places with climate records. The Charlotte Douglas Ap weather station, 22 miles away, records that about 49 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 79% of South Carolina places with climate records.
York has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 31° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
26% of working residents cross a state line to work, Charlotte among the top destinations. York has about as many jobs (3,570) as working residents, but only 366 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave York for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, York has lost 1,571 jobs, to 3,570 in 2023. 16% of York residents live below the poverty line.
| York | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical York home is worth about $351,000, down 1.2% in a year, 15% above the South Carolina typical home.
| York | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $896 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.5 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is York Recreation Complex, at 39 acres.
| York | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. York Recreation Complex | 0.3 mi | 39 |
| 2. McCelvey Field | — | 11 |
| 3. York Recreation Center | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around York. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Theme parkCarowinds
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
38 mi LakeLake Norman23 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaBojangles Coliseum
27 mi LandmarkPeachoidCarowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bank of America Stadium: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bojangles Coliseum: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of York
About 3 of every 100 York residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
7 places in York on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in York.
City in South Carolina, United States
York is a city in and the county seat of York County, South Carolina, United States. The population was approximately 7,736 at the 2010 census, and up to 8,053 as of the 2020 census. York is located approximately 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina and 13 miles (21 km) west of Rock Hill, South Carolina.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
York grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #108 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 43% 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 A−.
12 notable people were born here, including Alexander S. Wallace and David E. Finley, Jr..
