From Staff Reports

WASHINGTON, D.C — Greenville, S.C., recently was ranked No. 267 nationally on the U.S. News & World Report “Best Places to Live” list.

Within the state, it is ranked as the No. 2 best place to live, trailing only Mount Pleasant. 

Meanwhile, Spartanburg ranks 722nd nationally on the U.S. News & World Report “Best Places to Live” list. 

Within South Carolina, Spartanburg is ranked No. 9, and it scores a 4.7 out of 10 overall for livability 

In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report liveability rankings, the top-rated cities in South Carolina are led by Mount Pleasant (No. 1 in S.C.), Greenville (No. 2 in S.C.), and Florence (Rank No. 3 in S.C.). 

In the 2006 U.S. News & World Report “Best Places to Live” rankings, Spartanburg, S.C., was not among the top-tier nationally ranked cities. 

At that time, the publication’s “Best Places to Live” feature only evaluated metropolitan areas with populations over 500,000, and Spartanburg did not feature prominently in the top 100 national list.

The top 10 rankings for South Carolina, including concrete details like median home values, are detailed below:

•No. 1 Mount Pleasant, S.C.

Median Home Value: $675,537

Median Household Income: $122,539

Avg. Commute: 22 minutes 

• No. 2 Greenville, S.C. 

Median Home Value: $461,274

Median Household Income: $76,686

Avg. Commute: 17 minutes 

• No. 3 Florence, S.C.

Median Home Value: $192,970

Median Household Income: $61,049

Avg. Commute: 17 minutes 

• No. 4 Charleston, S.C.

Median Home Value: $488,936

Median Household Income: $94,333

Avg. Commute: 21 minutes 

• No. 5 Sumter, S.C.

Median Home Value: $207,753

Median Household Income: $57,092

Avg. Commute: 16 minutes 

• No. 6 Rock Hill, S.C.

Median Home Value: $321,925

Median Household Income: $61,544

Avg. Commute: 20 minutes 

• No. 7 Columbia, S.C.

Median Home Value: $218,658

Median Household Income: 

$58,054

Avg. Commute: 19 minutes 

• No. 8 Spartanburg, S.C.

Median Home Value: $223,913

Median Household Income: $50,295

Avg. Commute: 17 minutes 

• No. 9 Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Median Home Value: $308,825

Median Household Income: $56,125

Avg. Commute: 16 minutes 

• No. 10 Anderson, S.C.

Median Home Value: $216,793

Median Household Income: $52,430