Data / Rankings / Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over / Cities in South Carolina

Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree

Tega Cay, SC had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 43 cities in 2021, at 65.9%. Gaffney, SC had the lowest, at 16.7%. The median was 34.7% and the figure for South Carolina was 29.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest65.9Tega Cay, SC
Lowest16.7Gaffney, SC
Median34.743 cities
South Carolina29.8History

All cities, 2021

Tega Cay, SC: 65.9 %Tega Cay, SC65.9Mount Pleasant, SC: 65.3 %Mount Pleasant, SC65.3Forest Acres, SC: 62.7 %Forest Acres, SC62.7Clemson, SC: 61.5 %Clemson, SC61.5Charleston, SC: 55.7 %Charleston, SC55.7Fort Mill, SC: 54.8 %Fort Mill, SC54.8Hilton Head Island, SC: 52.6 %Hilton Head Island, SC52.6Greenville, SC: 52.5 %Greenville, SC52.5James Island, SC: 51.6 %James Island, SC51.6Bluffton, SC: 47 %Bluffton, SC47Lexington, SC: 46.2 %Lexington, SC46.2Columbia, SC: 44.7 %Columbia, SC44.7Hardeeville, SC: 43.1 %Hardeeville, SC43.1Aiken, SC: 41.3 %Aiken, SC41.3Irmo, SC: 38 %Irmo, SC38Port Royal, SC: 37.6 %Port Royal, SC37.6Greer, SC: 37.3 %Greer, SC37.3North Augusta, SC: 36.6 %North Augusta, SC36.6North Myrtle Beach, SC: 36.6 %North Myrtle Beach, SC36.6Hanahan, SC: 36.5 %Hanahan, SC36.5West Columbia, SC: 34.8 %West Columbia, SC34.8Beaufort, SC: 34.7 %Beaufort, SC34.7Simpsonville, SC: 34.4 %Simpsonville, SC34.4Mauldin, SC: 33.8 %Mauldin, SC33.8Rock Hill, SC: 32.8 %Rock Hill, SC32.8Spartanburg, SC: 32.7 %Spartanburg, SC32.7Cayce, SC: 32 %Cayce, SC32Florence, SC: 31.6 %Florence, SC31.6Myrtle Beach, SC: 30.5 %Myrtle Beach, SC30.5Summerville, SC: 30.1 %Summerville, SC30.1Easley, SC: 29.2 %Easley, SC29.2Orangeburg, SC: 28.4 %Orangeburg, SC28.4Fountain Inn, SC: 28.1 %Fountain Inn, SC28.1Goose Creek, SC: 27.2 %Goose Creek, SC27.2Sumter, SC: 26.6 %Sumter, SC26.6North Charleston, SC: 26.6 %North Charleston, SC26.6Moncks Corner, SC: 25.8 %Moncks Corner, SC25.8Anderson, SC: 24 %Anderson, SC24Greenwood, SC: 20.6 %Greenwood, SC20.6Newberry, SC: 19.7 %Newberry, SC19.7York, SC: 17.1 %York, SC17.1Conway, SC: 17 %Conway, SC17Gaffney, SC: 16.7 %Gaffney, SC16.7Tega Cay, SC: 65.9 %Tega Cay, SC65.9Mount Pleasant, SC: 65.3 %Mount Pleasant, SC65.3Forest Acres, SC: 62.7 %Forest Acres, SC62.7Clemson, SC: 61.5 %Clemson, SC61.5Charleston, SC: 55.7 %Charleston, SC55.7Fort Mill, SC: 54.8 %Fort Mill, SC54.8Hilton Head Island, SC: 52.6 %Hilton Head Island, SC52.6Greenville, SC: 52.5 %Greenville, SC52.5James Island, SC: 51.6 %James Island, SC51.6Bluffton, SC: 47 %Bluffton, SC47Lexington, SC: 46.2 %Lexington, SC46.2Columbia, SC: 44.7 %Columbia, SC44.7Hardeeville, SC: 43.1 %Hardeeville, SC43.1Aiken, SC: 41.3 %Aiken, SC41.3Irmo, SC: 38 %Irmo, SC38Port Royal, SC: 37.6 %Port Royal, SC37.6Greer, SC: 37.3 %Greer, SC37.3North Augusta, SC: 36.6 %North Augusta, SC36.6North Myrtle Beach, SC: 36.6 %North Myrtle Beach, SC36.6Hanahan, SC: 36.5 %Hanahan, SC36.5West Columbia, SC: 34.8 %West Columbia, SC34.8Beaufort, SC: 34.7 %Beaufort, SC34.7Simpsonville, SC: 34.4 %Simpsonville, SC34.4Mauldin, SC: 33.8 %Mauldin, SC33.8Rock Hill, SC: 32.8 %Rock Hill, SC32.8Spartanburg, SC: 32.7 %Spartanburg, SC32.7Cayce, SC: 32 %Cayce, SC32Florence, SC: 31.6 %Florence, SC31.6Myrtle Beach, SC: 30.5 %Myrtle Beach, SC30.5Summerville, SC: 30.1 %Summerville, SC30.1Easley, SC: 29.2 %Easley, SC29.2Orangeburg, SC: 28.4 %Orangeburg, SC28.4Fountain Inn, SC: 28.1 %Fountain Inn, SC28.1Goose Creek, SC: 27.2 %Goose Creek, SC27.2Sumter, SC: 26.6 %Sumter, SC26.6North Charleston, SC: 26.6 %North Charleston, SC26.6Moncks Corner, SC: 25.8 %Moncks Corner, SC25.8Anderson, SC: 24 %Anderson, SC24Greenwood, SC: 20.6 %Greenwood, SC20.6Newberry, SC: 19.7 %Newberry, SC19.7York, SC: 17.1 %York, SC17.1Conway, SC: 17 %Conway, SC17Gaffney, SC: 16.7 %Gaffney, SC16.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Tega Cay, SC65.9
2Mount Pleasant, SC65.3
3Forest Acres, SC62.7
4Clemson, SC61.5
5Charleston, SC55.7
6Fort Mill, SC54.8
7Hilton Head Island, SC52.6
8Greenville, SC52.5
9James Island, SC51.6
10Bluffton, SC47
11Lexington, SC46.2
12Columbia, SC44.7
13Hardeeville, SC43.1
14Aiken, SC41.3
15Irmo, SC38
16Port Royal, SC37.6
17Greer, SC37.3
18North Augusta, SC36.6
18North Myrtle Beach, SC36.6
20Hanahan, SC36.5
21West Columbia, SC34.8
22Beaufort, SC34.7
23Simpsonville, SC34.4
24Mauldin, SC33.8
25Rock Hill, SC32.8
26Spartanburg, SC32.7
27Cayce, SC32
28Florence, SC31.6
29Myrtle Beach, SC30.5
30Summerville, SC30.1
31Easley, SC29.2
32Orangeburg, SC28.4
33Fountain Inn, SC28.1
34Goose Creek, SC27.2
35Sumter, SC26.6
36North Charleston, SC26.6
37Moncks Corner, SC25.8
38Anderson, SC24
39Greenwood, SC20.6
40Newberry, SC19.7
41York, SC17.1
42Conway, SC17
43Gaffney, SC16.7

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Excludes associate degrees and college without a degree. Not comparable with EU tertiary attainment, which includes short-cycle tertiary education and usually covers ages 25 to 64.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_south_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in South Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/south-carolina-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Tega Cay, SC, with 65.9% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Gaffney, SC, with 16.7% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over: other rankings

Cities in South Carolina: more rankings