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Cost of living, pay and housing

34.40° N · 79.91° W · GEOID 4520365

Dovesville

Darlington County, South Carolina · part of the Florence, SC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

South CarolinaDovesville, SCDovesvilleDovesville

The short answer

Dovesville is home to 1,120 people. Median household income is $31,918 a year and median rent is $866 a month, 32.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $96,600, about 3.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$866
37% below the median place
Median household income
$31,918
60% below the median place
Median home value
$96,600
70% below the median place
Unemployment
6.7%
36% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Dovesville

  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $22,900 a year left, less than in 99% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 89 South Carolina places.
  • 52.9% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 96 South Carolina places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 84 South Carolina places.
  • The median home is valued at $96,600, less than in 96% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,212 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 91% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 100 South Carolina places.
01

Moving to Dovesville

Darlington County gains about 3.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,935
Moved out2,756
Net+179

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Chesterfield County, SC186215−29
Lee County, SC10693+13

Within South Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within South CarolinaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$45K
Leavers$46K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Darlington County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Darlington County report $45,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $46,300.
Income you would need
$34,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $866 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,078 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $96,600.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 4.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Greenville, MS matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in7
$45,424
36% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure3.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$45,42436% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$46,30634% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median home value is $96,600, 70% below the median place.

Dovesville32.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$34,640
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
32.6%
60% above the median place
Home price to income
3.0x
20% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
32%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$23,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Dovesville, $866 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Dovesville.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Dovesville? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$96,600
70% below the median place
Vacant homes1
22.4%
218% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
26% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$86637% below
Rent to income132.6%60% above
Property tax rate10.7%26% below
Home price to income13.0x20% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure86.814% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,09332% below
HUD area median income4County figure$69,60035% below
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$65280% below
Median home value1$96,60070% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.5%11% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure41.1%20% below
Homeownership170.0%5% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure56.4%11% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,07811% above
Vacant homes122.4%218% above
Median year built119850% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
52.9%
391% above the median place
Median household income1
$31,918
60% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$31,91860% below
Income per person1$17,79156% below
Unemployment1County figure6.7%36% above
Average annual pay6County figure$60,4778% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs6County figure19,83487% below
Poverty rate152.9%391% above
Mean commute1County figure23 min10% below
Works from home1County figure4.8%62% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
57.9%
37% below the median place
No health insurance1
28.4%
344% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher77.1% −17%
Household size3.1 +24%
Median age36.7 −6%
All 8 people measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,1206646th largest
Median age136.76% below
Bachelor's or higher1County figure19.9%38% below
High school or higher177.1%17% below
Household size13.124% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance128.4%344% above
Homes with broadband157.9%37% below
05

Life in Dovesville

52 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars16.8 −19%
Shops36.0 +19%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.9 −29%
Doctors' offices and clinics11.8 −42%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
11.8
42% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
16.8
19% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.9
29% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure21133% above
Public school students11County figure9,48294% above
Students per teacher11County figure14.18% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure16.819% below
Shops per 10k8County figure36.019% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.929% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure11.842% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure52300% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 89.0%, 30% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Dovesville. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days14
89.0%
30% above the median place
July average high12
92°F
6% above the median place
Natural hazard risk13
72.3
22% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureDovesvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure92°F6% above
January average low12County figure34°F33% above
Average temperature12County figure63°F15% above
Annual precipitation12County figure47.2 in8% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure72.322% below
Hurricane risk13County figure87.924% above
Tornado risk13County figure84.34% above
Wildfire risk13County figure74.021% above
Heat wave risk13County figure81.210% below
Median air quality index14County figure407% below
Good air days14County figure89.0%30% above
08

Dovesville in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 34% of the median income in 2030, up from 33% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$866/mo (2024)$1,120/mo$920 to $1,370/mo+4.5%
Median household income$31,918 (2024)$40,000$34,000 to $47,500+3.9%

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Dovesville

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Greenville, MS$872$40,083Compare
Pine Bluff, AR$855$42,718Compare
Cleveland, OH$945$40,801Compare
Elmira, NY$909$43,120Compare
Elmira, NYCleveland, OHPine Bluff, ARGreenville, MSDovesville, SCDovesvilleGreenvillePine BluffClevelandElmiraDovesvilleGreenvillePine BluffClevelandElmira

Common questions

Is Dovesville a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $22,900 a year left, less than in 99% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 89 South Carolina places. 52.9% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 96 South Carolina places. On cost, space and class size it scores 40 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Dovesville expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 32.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $96,600.

What salary do you need to live in Dovesville?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $34,640 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Dovesville?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Greenville, MS, Pine Bluff, AR, Cleveland, OH and Elmira, NY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Dovesville with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Dovesville itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/dovesville-south-carolina

Citytistics. “Dovesville, South Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/dovesville-south-carolina/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.