Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly)

Beaufort County had the highest fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly) of 46 counties in 2021, at $1,032. Cherokee County had the lowest, at $476. The median was $609. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

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Highest1,032Beaufort County
Median60946 counties

Map of counties, 2021

Abbeville County: 512 USDAiken County: 636 USDAllendale County: 512 USDAnderson County: 623 USDBamberg County: 540 USDBarnwell County: 557 USDBeaufort County: 1,032 USDBerkeley County: 1,000 USDCalhoun County: 782 USDCharleston County: 1,000 USDCherokee County: 476 USDChester County: 553 USDChesterfield County: 557 USDClarendon County: 512 USDColleton County: 566 USDDarlington County: 516 USDDillon County: 557 USDDorchester County: 1,000 USDEdgefield County: 636 USDFairfield County: 782 USDFlorence County: 616 USDGeorgetown County: 611 USDGreenville County: 731 USDGreenwood County: 619 USDHampton County: 517 USDHorry County: 732 USDJasper County: 795 USDKershaw County: 585 USDLancaster County: 623 USDLaurens County: 606 USDLee County: 557 USDLexington County: 782 USDMcCormick County: 512 USDMarion County: 526 USDMarlboro County: 523 USDNewberry County: 599 USDOconee County: 507 USDOrangeburg County: 582 USDPickens County: 731 USDRichland County: 782 USDSaluda County: 782 USDSpartanburg County: 695 USDSumter County: 651 USDUnion County: 530 USDWilliamsburg County: 512 USDYork County: 987 USD
  • Under 520
  • 520 to 560
  • 560 to 610
  • 610 to 650
  • 650 to 780
  • 780 and over
USD, 2021. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Beaufort County: 1,032 USDBeaufort County1,032Berkeley County: 1,000 USDBerkeley County1,000Charleston County: 1,000 USDCharleston County1,000Dorchester County: 1,000 USDDorchester County1,000York County: 987 USDYork County987Jasper County: 795 USDJasper County795Calhoun County: 782 USDCalhoun County782Fairfield County: 782 USDFairfield County782Lexington County: 782 USDLexington County782Richland County: 782 USDRichland County782Saluda County: 782 USDSaluda County782Horry County: 732 USDHorry County732Greenville County: 731 USDGreenville County731Pickens County: 731 USDPickens County731Spartanburg County: 695 USDSpartanburg County695Sumter County: 651 USDSumter County651Aiken County: 636 USDAiken County636Edgefield County: 636 USDEdgefield County636Anderson County: 623 USDAnderson County623Lancaster County: 623 USDLancaster County623Greenwood County: 619 USDGreenwood County619Florence County: 616 USDFlorence County616Georgetown County: 611 USDGeorgetown County611Laurens County: 606 USDLaurens County606Newberry County: 599 USDNewberry County599Kershaw County: 585 USDKershaw County585Orangeburg County: 582 USDOrangeburg County582Colleton County: 566 USDColleton County566Barnwell County: 557 USDBarnwell County557Chesterfield County: 557 USDChesterfield County557Dillon County: 557 USDDillon County557Lee County: 557 USDLee County557Chester County: 553 USDChester County553Bamberg County: 540 USDBamberg County540Union County: 530 USDUnion County530Marion County: 526 USDMarion County526Marlboro County: 523 USDMarlboro County523Hampton County: 517 USDHampton County517Darlington County: 516 USDDarlington County516Abbeville County: 512 USDAbbeville County512Allendale County: 512 USDAllendale County512Clarendon County: 512 USDClarendon County512McCormick County: 512 USDMcCormick County512Williamsburg County: 512 USDWilliamsburg County512Oconee County: 507 USDOconee County507Cherokee County: 476 USDCherokee County476Beaufort County: 1,032 USDBeaufort County1,032Berkeley County: 1,000 USDBerkeley County1,000Charleston County: 1,000 USDCharleston County1,000Dorchester County: 1,000 USDDorchester County1,000York County: 987 USDYork County987Jasper County: 795 USDJasper County795Calhoun County: 782 USDCalhoun County782Fairfield County: 782 USDFairfield County782Lexington County: 782 USDLexington County782Richland County: 782 USDRichland County782Saluda County: 782 USDSaluda County782Horry County: 732 USDHorry County732Greenville County: 731 USDGreenville County731Pickens County: 731 USDPickens County731Spartanburg County: 695 USDSpartanburg County695Sumter County: 651 USDSumter County651Aiken County: 636 USDAiken County636Edgefield County: 636 USDEdgefield County636Anderson County: 623 USDAnderson County623Lancaster County: 623 USDLancaster County623Greenwood County: 619 USDGreenwood County619Florence County: 616 USDFlorence County616Georgetown County: 611 USDGeorgetown County611Laurens County: 606 USDLaurens County606Newberry County: 599 USDNewberry County599Kershaw County: 585 USDKershaw County585Orangeburg County: 582 USDOrangeburg County582Colleton County: 566 USDColleton County566Barnwell County: 557 USDBarnwell County557Chesterfield County: 557 USDChesterfield County557Dillon County: 557 USDDillon County557Lee County: 557 USDLee County557Chester County: 553 USDChester County553Bamberg County: 540 USDBamberg County540Union County: 530 USDUnion County530Marion County: 526 USDMarion County526Marlboro County: 523 USDMarlboro County523Hampton County: 517 USDHampton County517Darlington County: 516 USDDarlington County516Abbeville County: 512 USDAbbeville County512Allendale County: 512 USDAllendale County512Clarendon County: 512 USDClarendon County512McCormick County: 512 USDMcCormick County512Williamsburg County: 512 USDWilliamsburg County512Oconee County: 507 USDOconee County507Cherokee County: 476 USDCherokee County476
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
USD
Change on 2020
1Beaufort County1,032+19.4%
2Berkeley County1,000+10.3%
2Charleston County1,000+10.3%
2Dorchester County1,000+10.3%
5York County987+8.8%
6Jasper County795+12.3%
7Calhoun County782+10.8%
7Fairfield County782+10.8%
7Lexington County782+10.8%
7Richland County782+10.8%
7Saluda County782+10.8%
12Horry County732-9.9%
13Greenville County731+16.4%
13Pickens County731+16.4%
15Spartanburg County695+13.4%
16Sumter County651+6%
17Aiken County636-7.7%
17Edgefield County636-7.7%
19Anderson County623+8.7%
19Lancaster County623+19.6%
21Greenwood County619+20.7%
22Florence County616+1.5%
23Georgetown County611+5.5%
24Laurens County606+8.2%
25Newberry County599+8.1%
26Kershaw County585-4.7%
27Orangeburg County582+4.3%
28Colleton County566+5.6%
29Barnwell County557+8.6%
29Chesterfield County557+8.6%
29Dillon County557+8.6%
29Lee County557+8.6%
33Chester County553+6.1%
34Bamberg County540+5.1%
35Union County530+1.3%
36Marion County526-5.4%
37Marlboro County523+3.2%
38Hampton County517+4.4%
39Darlington County516+4%
40Abbeville County512+4.3%
40Allendale County512+4.3%
40Clarendon County512-0.2%
40McCormick County512+4.3%
40Williamsburg County512+4.3%
45Oconee County507+6.3%
46Cherokee County476+11%

Other periods

About this ranking

Monthly gross rent, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets for an efficiency (a unit with no separate bedroom) in the HUD area that contains the county.

More on how it is measured
  • Gross rent is the rent plus all utilities paid by the tenant except telephone, cable or satellite television and internet.
  • HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the 40th percentile of gross rents paid by recent movers for standard-quality rental units, from American Community Survey data brought forward to the fiscal year; until 2018 a few metropolitan areas were set at the 50th percentile.
  • They set payment standards for Housing Choice Vouchers and rent ceilings in other HUD programs.

A policy benchmark, not a measured rent: it is lower than the median rent by design and differs from the Census Bureau median gross rent. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

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

How to cite

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. 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. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2021). HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars (Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2021. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2021) HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars, Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_south_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21\_4050\_FMRs\_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars: Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly), 2021
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/03/10
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/fair-market-rent-efficiency/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmr2021/FY21_4050_FMRs_rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in South Carolina by fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly)?

Beaufort County, with $1,032 in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly)?

Cherokee County, with $476 in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Fair Market Rents by county: efficiency, monthly gross rent in dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Fair Market Rent, efficiency (HUD, monthly): other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings