Special Report

This Is the City Hit Hardest by Extreme Poverty in South Carolina

Samuel Stebbins

Published: September 20, 2021 8:00 am

Last Updated: September 20, 2021 9:31 am

There are an estimated 39.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, which, in the lower 48 states, is an annual income threshold of $12,880 for an individual and $26,500 for a family of four (Alaska and Hawaii have a slightly higher threshold). Living in poverty can have serious consequences and impacts nearly every aspect of life — and those problems can be compounded for those who are facing poverty while also living in very poor neighborhoods.

Residents of poor neighborhoods often struggle with higher crime rates, limited employment opportunities, lower school quality, and poor health outcomes. For those living on poverty level income, each of these factors reduces the likelihood of upward economic mobility.

Of the eight metropolitan areas in South Carolina, Columbia, the state capital, has the highest concentrated poverty rate. There are 111,800 people in Columbia living below the poverty line, and 7.9% of them reside in high-poverty neighborhoods.

Despite having the worst economic segregation in the state, Columbia does not have an especially large poor population. About 14.4% of metro area residents live below the poverty line, compared to 15.2% of all South Carolinians. Additionally, two other metro areas in the state — Florence and Sumpter — have poverty rates over 18%.

All data used in this story are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. We only considered census tracts, or neighborhoods, with at least 500 people and college or graduate school enrollment below 50%. Metro areas were also excluded if over 25% of the population in tracts or neighborhoods of concentrated poverty were college or university students.