Living in St. George, South Carolina: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1% above the U.S. average in the Charleston-North Charleston metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in St. George to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for St. George itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 middle. No public high school in town: the nearest is Woodland High, about 5 miles away.
A hospital close byColleton Medical Center in Walterboro, about 19 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityCharlotte is about 141 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means St. George meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 18%Dorchester County, 2022 to 2025
Homes owned by the people living in them: 49%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,041 a yearSouth Carolina: $1,251
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 9%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 101U.S. average = 100 (the Charleston-North Charleston metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 18% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Charleston-North Charleston metro area, not St. George alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,8682020: 1,833
Median age: 41.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 25%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 27%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 18%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Construction (14%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (13%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 3%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 28%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Colleton Medical Center, Walterboro, SC, about 19 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in St. George, run by Dorchester 04. The nearest public high school is Woodland High, about 5 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on South Carolina's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 54%U.S.: 76%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 35°F
July average high: 91°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 78 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 46 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50.8 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 95 feet

Weather stations: Holly Hill 1 SW (13 miles away) and Givhans Ferry 2 ESE (18 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Colleton Medical CenterEmergency room19

Summerville, SCCity of 53,00026

Charlotte, NCMetro of 2.9 million141

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Colleton Medical Center, Summerville, Charlotte.

Dorchester County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Indian Fields Methodist Campground.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Congaree National Park39 miles
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park47 miles
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site49 miles
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park55 miles

Read about St. George's history on Wikipedia.

Know St. George?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Holly Hill, SC1,300 people, 14 miles
Ridgeville, SC1,200 people, 16 miles
Walterboro, SC5,500 people, 20 miles
Orangeburg, SC13,400 people, 27 miles
Bamberg, SC2,900 people, 27 miles
Lincolnville, SC1,200 people, 27 miles

Smaller places

Reevesville, SC197 people, 4 miles
Grover, SC (unincorporated)345 people, 5 miles
Harleyville, SC773 people, 8 miles
Bowman, SC770 people, 13 miles
Branchville, SC971 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.