How South Carolina stacks up
It seems a new survey comes out every week, announcing rankings for America’s cities and states on any number of topics from weight to walkability, romance to jobs, and just about everything in between.
Now, let’s face it, most of these surveys don’t seem terribly scientific. And in the grand scheme of things, the findings mean little more than bragging rights.
Still, it’s fun to see how the Palmetto State and its cities stack up against the rest of the United States.
So, just to entertain ourselves during this rather hot week, we decided to pull together a few rankings from surveys conducted by a variety of organizations over the past couple of years.
See how many you agree – or disagree – with.
The state
Among the 50 U.S. states, South Carolina ranks:
1
Best for
doctors
1
Patriotism
5
Most
religious
50
Safest states to live
8
Hottest
3
Best for doing business
2
People moving in from other states
28
Eco-friendly
40
Happiest
29
Business startup activity
10
Fastest- growing
8
Best to be a taxpayer
36
Senior health
40
Puppy-loving states
32
Economic outlook (2015)
24
Population
40
Land area
21
Water area
45
Best for women
40
Best school systems
42
Overall
health
10
Adult
obesity
Cities
How South Carolina’s cities rank against U.S. cities:
2
Myrtle Beach’s rank, 20 fastest-growing metro areas
13
Columbia’s rank, 14 best SEC college towns
3
Myrtle Beach’s rank, 20 trashiest spring break destinations
49
Myrtle Beach’s rank, 100 highest- appreciating cities
8
Columbia’s ranking, 100 metro areas with largest weight problems
13
Hilton Head’s rank, 20 fastest-growing metro areas
17
Charleston/North Charleston’s rank, 20 fastest-growing metro areas
10
Greenville’s rank, 10 best city parks (Falls Park on the Reedy)
16
Daufuskie Island’s rank, 16 sexiest beaches
8
Clemson’s rank, top 25 college football towns
7
Hilton Head Island’s rank, 10 best beaches
4
Greenville’s rank, 10 best downtowns
9
Greenville’s rank, 11 top barbecue cities
1
Greenville’s rank, 10 best urban bike paths (Swamp Rabbit Trail)
Survey information compiled from organizations including: WalletHub, Area Development, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Yahoo News, America’s Health Rankings, alec.org, Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, movoto.com, Fodors, livability.com, United Van Lines, Kauffman Foundation, Coed.com, Milk-Bone, U.S. Census Bureau, Gallup, Neighborhood Scout, United Health Foundation, Bleacher Report, Saturday Down South
This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 3:32 PM.