Find a Job You Really Want In
Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?
Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in South Carolina where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,
The results? Happiness comes in small packages.
The result is this list of the best cities for :
- Forest Acres, SC
- Lake Murray Of Richland, SC
- Mount Pleasant, SC
- Five Forks, SC
- Fountain Inn, SC
- James Island, SC
- Simpsonville, SC
- Boiling Springs, SC
- Lexington, SC
- Beaufort, SC
These are the happiest places in South Carolina. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in South Carolina?
We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:
- Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
- Percent of households earning above $75,000
- Median home prices
- A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
- Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)
We examined over 98 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.
While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.
Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.
All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.
Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.
1. Forest Acres
Population: 10,433
Earners Over $75k: 42.4%
Average Commute: 18
Marriage Rate: 25.0%
Forest Acres is the happiest city in all of South Carolina. What makes Forest Acres residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Forest Acres resident only drives 18.5 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Forest Acres residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Lake Murray Of Richland
Population: 6,427
Earners Over $75k: 65.9%
Average Commute: 30
Marriage Rate: 31.0%
In 2nd place we have Lake Murray of Richland. Residents of Lake Murray of Richland are highly educated, with an impressive 57.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Lake Murray of Richland have plenty of them.
3. Mount Pleasant
Population: 83,700
Earners Over $75k: 62.1%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 15.0%
Mount Pleasant is the third happiest city in South Carolina. Why so happy? 15.0% of Mount Pleasant residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.
4. Five Forks
Population: 18,004
Earners Over $75k: 67.7%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 12.0%
Folks in Five Forks have a lot to smile about. An impressive 67.7% of Five Forks households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Five Forks can afford peace of mind.
5. Fountain Inn
Population: 8,684
Earners Over $75k: 37.5%
Average Commute: 19
Marriage Rate: 26.0%
Fountain Inn is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Fountain Inn residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this South Carolina city is only $147,200), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. James Island
Population: 12,010
Earners Over $75k: 51.7%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 26.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give James Island a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 51.7% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call James Island home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Simpsonville
Population: 21,423
Earners Over $75k: 44.1%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 19.0%
Simpsonville is the 7th happiest city. Simpsonville residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 21.7 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.
8. Boiling Springs
Population: 9,282
Earners Over $75k: 36.0%
Average Commute: 19
Marriage Rate: 23.0%
Boiling Springs residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Lexington
Population: 21,040
Earners Over $75k: 43.2%
Average Commute: 25
Marriage Rate: 19.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of South Carolina is Lexington. The average commute in Lexington is only 25.2 minutes. That means they are only 25.2 minutes away from the loving spouse 19.0% of them have.
10. Beaufort
Population: 13,336
Earners Over $75k: 30.4%
Average Commute: 15
Marriage Rate: 11.0%
In 10th place is Beaufort, South Carolina. What makes Beaufort so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.
And that’s our list of the happiest cities in South Carolina
There you have it, happiness is a place.
While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.
If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.
If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.
Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In
| Rank | City | High Earners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest Acres | 42.4% |
| 2 | Lake Murray Of Richland | 65.9% |
| 3 | Mount Pleasant | 62.1% |
| 4 | Five Forks | 67.7% |
| 5 | Fountain Inn | 37.5% |
| 6 | James Island | 51.7% |
| 7 | Simpsonville | 44.1% |
| 8 | Boiling Springs | 36.0% |
| 9 | Lexington | 43.2% |
| 10 | Beaufort | 30.4% |
| 11 | Hanahan | 42.8% |
| 12 | Powdersville | 39.9% |
| 13 | Florence | 30.5% |
| 14 | Tega Cay | 75.7% |
| 15 | Fort Mill | 54.2% |
| 16 | Travelers Rest | 34.8% |
| 17 | Greenville | 35.2% |
| 18 | Greer | 37.2% |
| 19 | Wade Hampton | 32.5% |
| 20 | Lake Wylie | 56.1% |
| 21 | Hilton Head Island | 49.5% |
| 22 | Murrells Inlet | 37.6% |
| 23 | Charleston | 44.2% |
| 24 | Moncks Corner | 35.5% |
| 25 | Mauldin | 42.8% |
| 26 | Goose Creek | 42.8% |
| 27 | Lugoff | 33.4% |
| 28 | Bluffton | 49.6% |
| 29 | Seven Oaks | 32.0% |
| 30 | Columbia | 30.5% |
| 31 | Summerville | 39.9% |
| 32 | Camden | 30.2% |
| 33 | Hartsville | 22.3% |
| 34 | Taylors | 31.9% |
| 35 | Irmo | 40.1% |
| 36 | Centerville | 31.2% |
| 37 | Cayce | 29.9% |
| 38 | Clemson | 31.7% |
| 39 | Hollywood | 35.7% |
| 40 | Sumter | 24.1% |
| 41 | North Augusta | 37.8% |
| 42 | Aiken | 36.5% |
| 43 | Port Royal | 27.0% |
| 44 | Forestbrook | 33.8% |
| 45 | North Myrtle Beach | 36.9% |
| 46 | Cheraw | 17.2% |
| 47 | Anderson | 22.2% |
| 48 | Easley | 31.0% |
| 49 | Myrtle Beach | 24.6% |
| 50 | West Columbia | 26.7% |
| 51 | Sangaree | 39.5% |
| 52 | Rock Hill | 27.8% |
| 53 | Hardeeville | 38.2% |
| 54 | Oak Grove | 30.4% |
| 55 | Seneca | 20.4% |
| 56 | Dillon | 19.7% |
| 57 | Batesburg-Leesville | 27.4% |
| 58 | Red Bank | 29.6% |
| 59 | Spartanburg | 22.2% |
| 60 | Piedmont | 25.5% |
| 61 | Walterboro | 10.4% |
| 62 | Georgetown | 17.9% |
| 63 | Laurens | 17.2% |
| 64 | Bennettsville | 13.4% |
| 65 | Marion | 22.5% |
| 66 | Gantt | 18.5% |
| 67 | North Charleston | 24.6% |
| 68 | Ladson | 36.0% |
| 69 | Valley Falls | 22.4% |
| 70 | Orangeburg | 18.7% |
| 71 | Dentsville | 17.6% |
| 72 | Laurel Bay | 23.4% |
| 73 | Burton | 32.3% |
| 74 | Clover | 29.2% |
| 75 | Socastee | 22.6% |
| 76 | York | 18.4% |
| 77 | Darlington | 14.5% |
| 78 | Conway | 25.2% |
| 79 | Union | 13.0% |
| 80 | Little River | 27.5% |
| 81 | Newberry | 17.1% |
| 82 | Greenwood | 15.6% |
| 83 | Clinton | 18.9% |
| 84 | Sans Souci | 13.0% |
| 85 | Lake City | 12.7% |
| 86 | St. Andrews | 16.0% |
| 87 | Red Hill | 20.7% |
| 88 | Gaffney | 15.5% |
| 89 | Abbeville | 10.2% |
| 90 | Lancaster | 17.2% |
| 91 | Woodfield | 19.3% |
| 92 | Garden City | 21.2% |
| 93 | Homeland Park | 4.4% |
| 94 | Welcome | 10.0% |
| 95 | Parker | 11.2% |
| 96 | Berea | 17.5% |
| 97 | Central | 12.4% |
| 98 | Chester | 14.7% |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
.jpg){kind=link}
