Living in Sumter, SC
Small city in South Carolina
Sumter is a small city in South Carolina, home to about 43,000 people, with 257,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Sumter a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $205k and rents for $1,530 a month
- Low taxes: about $1,296 state income tax per resident, 0.57% property tax
- Low natural disaster risk: 9 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Smaller job market: about 257,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer graduates: 29% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Sumter ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Sumter: common questions
What is the cost of living in Sumter?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $205k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,530 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 88, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Sumter?
South Carolina collects about $1,296 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.57% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Sumter safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.8× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Sumter?
Sumter has mild winters: winter days average around 57°F and summer days around 89°F.
Does Sumter get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.67 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Sumter?
The nearest major airport is CHS, about 75 mi away.
How Sumter scores
Each bar compares Sumter with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Sumter right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.