Dillon County

Dillon County sits at a median home price of $125,066, making it one of the most affordable entry points in South Carolina and, by its national rank of 4 out of 1,000 counties, one of the most affordable in the country. The affordability index hits 100, the ceiling of the scale. What the data does not provide is a median rent figure or a calculated cap rate and cash-on-cash return, so any cash-flow projection requires the investor to source local rent comps independently before underwriting. What the data does show clearly is a 5.93% year-over-year home price gain, which drives the appreciation score to 89 out of 100. That combination, a very low purchase price with above-average price appreciation, is the defining characteristic of this market.

The investor this market suits most directly is an appreciation buyer willing to tolerate incomplete cash-flow visibility in exchange for a low dollar entry. At $125,066, the capital at risk on a single-family purchase is roughly half what you would deploy in Florence County ($196,261) or Richland County ($238,959), and the 5.93% price gain on that base compounds meaningfully. A cash-flow buyer cannot confirm the spread here without rent data, but the price basis is low enough that even modest rents could produce acceptable yields. Dillon also has appeal for a value-add operator who wants to minimize acquisition cost and bet on continued appreciation while forcing equity through improvements. The stability score of 50 out of 100 is a real signal, however. It suggests this is not a set-and-forget market. An operator who monitors the asset actively is better positioned here than a passive landlord who needs predictable, low-variance income.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Dillon County, so the analysis cannot speak to the specific drivers of rental demand or job stability. Investors should treat this as a gap that requires direct local research before committing capital. A population of 28,255 means the tenant pool is thin relative to larger metros, and understanding which employers, institutions, or infrastructure projects are supporting household formation in the county is a necessary part of underwriting demand risk.

On carry costs, the tax and insurance picture is a genuine tailwind. South Carolina's state-average effective property tax rate is 0.57%, which the Tax Foundation classifies as low, and Dillon's estimated annual tax on a $125,066 purchase comes to $713. Add estimated annual insurance of $425 and the combined monthly tax-and-insurance burden is approximately $95. That is a meaningful number for cash-flow math: most markets at this price point still carry $150 to $250 per month in tax and insurance, and the $95 figure preserves margin. The standard caveat applies here, that 0.57% is a state-average estimate and actual county or township rates in Dillon may differ, so pull the county assessor's current millage rate before finalizing your model. Still, even if the local rate is modestly higher than the state average, the low base price keeps the absolute dollar cost manageable.

The primary risks in Dillon are concentration and demographic. At 28,255 residents, the market is small enough that a single large employer contraction or a sustained out-migration trend could materially suppress both rents and resale demand. The stability score of 50 is the quantitative expression of that concern. Investors should also be aware that very low-price markets in rural South Carolina can carry elevated vacancy sensitivity: when the tenant pool is shallow, a vacancy that would be a two-week problem in Columbia can stretch to two or three months without active management. No vacancy or crime statistics are available in the provided data, but the combination of small population and a middling stability score warrants conservative vacancy assumptions in your underwrite.

Compared to its neighbors, Dillon's case rests almost entirely on price and appreciation momentum. Florence County, the closest neighbor with rent data, shows a rent-to-price ratio of 0.0747 on a $196,261 median, which implies reasonable cash flow but at a purchase price 57% higher than Dillon. Orangeburg County posts the highest rent-to-price ratio among neighbors at 0.0918 on a $154,731 median, making it the cleaner cash-flow choice in the region if yield is the primary objective. Richland and Aiken counties, at $238,959 and $226,755 respectively, offer larger tenant pools and likely more economic diversity, but their overall scores of 66 and 65 trail Dillon's 81 significantly. Choose Dillon over its neighbors when your thesis is appreciation on a low-cost basis and you have the local market knowledge to manage vacancy risk in a small market. Choose Orangeburg if yield clarity matters more. Choose Florence or Richland if tenant pool depth and economic stability are worth paying the price premium.