Williamsburg County

Williamsburg County sits at a median home price of $123,559, making it one of the most affordable entry points in South Carolina. The affordability index scores a perfect 100, and the county ranks 22nd out of 46 South Carolina counties overall. What the data also shows, however, is that the cash-flow score is 0 and the cap rate field returns zero, meaning the underlying rent data is insufficient to model a reliable gross yield. The price-to-rent ratio cannot be calculated from the available figures, so investors should treat any yield assumptions as unverified until they run their own rent comps on the ground. What is clear is that appreciation is not a primary thesis here either: the appreciation score is 15 out of 100, and home prices are down 5.18% year-over-year, placing Williamsburg firmly on the wrong side of the appreciation curve right now. This is not a market you underwrite for price gains.

Given the near-zero cash-flow score and the declining price trend, the investor profile this market suits most is a deep-value or distressed-asset operator, not a passive buy-and-hold landlord. At $123,559 median, the raw purchase price is low enough that a value-add buyer who can source properties below median, force equity through renovation, and verify local rents independently could construct a workable deal. A stabilized cash-flow buyer, however, has almost nothing in the data to anchor confidence: no rent figure is provided, the cap rate is blank, and a 5.18% price decline over the past year suggests the market is not absorbing demand at any meaningful rate. The stability score of 50 out of 100 is exactly average, which is neither a green light nor a hard stop, but combined with a population of just 30,879, it signals a thin, illiquid market where tenant demand is limited and vacancy exposure is real.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Williamsburg County, so this analysis will not speculate on job drivers or employment concentration. What the population figure alone suggests is a small, rural county with limited economic depth. Investors should independently verify major employers, commute patterns to neighboring labor markets, and any institutional anchors before committing capital.

On carry costs, Williamsburg is actually a tailwind story on taxes and insurance. South Carolina's state-average effective property tax rate is 0.57%, which the Tax Foundation classifies as low, and the county's estimated annual tax on a $123,559 purchase is approximately $704. Insurance runs an estimated $420 annually at a 0.34% rate. Combined, the monthly tax-and-insurance load is only $94, which is materially better than most comparable markets and does give a value-add operator meaningful room in the expense stack. The honest caveat is that this is a state-average estimate; actual county and township rates may differ, so verify the millage rate for the specific parcel before finalizing your underwrite. Still, a $94 monthly combined tax-and-insurance figure on a sub-$125,000 asset is a genuine structural advantage if the rent numbers can be made to work.

The primary risks here are concentration and liquidity. A population under 31,000 with a declining price trend means the exit market is narrow. If a property sits vacant, the pool of qualified tenants is limited, and if you need to sell, buyer depth is thin. The 5.18% year-over-year price decline is a signal worth taking seriously: it could reflect broader rural demographic pressure, which is a persistent and slow-moving headwind rather than a cyclical dip. Investors should also examine whether the county's population trend is flat or declining before assuming any demand recovery.

Compared to its neighbors, Williamsburg is the affordability outlier by a wide margin. Horry County sits at a $313,508 median with a rent-to-price ratio of 6.54% and an overall score of 51, virtually identical to Williamsburg's 51 but with a functioning rental market and actual yield data. Dorchester County at $343,638 median carries a 5.76% rent-to-price ratio and scores 53 overall. York County at $385,981 has a 5.13% ratio but benefits from Charlotte-metro spillover demand. Marion County at $146,318 is the closest comparable in price and scores 50, offering a similar affordability profile without the steeper price decline Williamsburg is currently experiencing. The case for choosing Williamsburg over any of these neighbors comes down to one scenario: an investor who can source assets significantly below the $123,559 median, confirm local rents independently, and absorb illiquidity risk in exchange for the lowest entry price and lowest carry costs in the region. For everyone else, Horry or Dorchester offer a cleaner risk-adjusted setup with verified yield data already in the picture.