Signals
Socastee
Lafayette
Opportunity
62 · Top 37%
vs62 · Top 38%
Climate
85 · Top 9%
vs77 · Top 23%
Physical resilience
21 · Bottom 15%
vs25 · Bottom 21%
Housing affordability
78 · Bottom 45%
vs79 · Bottom 48%
Schools
63 · Top 35%
vs54 · Top 47%
Access
95 · Top 40%
vs98 · Top 19%
Economic stability
47 · Bottom 27%
vs43 · Bottom 21%
Measured values
| Metric | Socastee | Lafayette | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,796 | 121,715 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $62,257 | $61,915 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $33,347 | $40,517 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,780/sq mi | 2,166/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $234,200 | $257,000 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,246 | $1,100 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 65.9% | 53.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.4% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 4.8% | 0.5% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.8% | 41.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% | 18.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average July high | 88°F | 92°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 37°F | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 48.5" | 62.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 5 mi | 2 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 22.3 min | 21.5 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 43.3 | 36.9 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 10 | 30 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 15.62 | 18.17 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 47.2% | 35.7% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 51.2% | 46.0% | 2019-20 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
South Carolina and Louisiana do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.
Physical risk tradeoff
Socastee
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, earthquake.
Lafayette
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, inland flooding.
Full profiles: Socastee, SC · Lafayette, LA · How this is calculated: methodology