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Moving to
Oak Grove.
Oak Grove is an unincorporated community in Lexington County, SC. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Oak Grove
Oak Grove is an unincorporated community in South Carolina with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Oak Grove deals with hot summers, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Fast-growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Oak Grove compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oak Grove
Based on Oak Grove's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,090
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $41,800 a year
- 42% of Oak Grove renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,030
- Homes cost 2.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 26% below US
$1,045/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,045 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $210,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $210,300 · 42% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lexington County is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lexington County (county-wide)
Safety
225 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Oak Grove doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Lexington County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1365/100k · Policed by Lexington County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 17% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.7 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
33% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Congaree National Park (26 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Oak Grove's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are hot summers and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,045/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes.
See all the data for Oak Grove →·All South Carolina cities →
Other places near Oak Grove
All South Carolina guides →Moving to West Columbia →
3 mi away · pop. 17,963
Rent $1,201/mo · Income $56,912
Compare with Oak Grove →Moving to Seven Oaks →
5 mi away · pop. 15,921
Rent $1,246/mo · Income $62,955
Compare with Oak Grove →Not sure Oak Grove is the one?
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