Moving to
St. Andrews.

All St. Andrews data Compare St. Andrews

19,868people live here $46,511median household income▼ 42% below US $1,088median rent per month▼ 23% below US $161,300median home value▼ 52% below US

St. Andrews is an unincorporated community in Richland 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 St. Andrews

St. Andrews 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 schools with smaller class sizes than the national average.

Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next. The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly.

The good

Rent below the national average
Affordable home prices
Short commutes
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Air quality concerns
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters
Hot summers
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How St. Andrews compares

Median household income

St. Andrews$46,511

South Carolina avg$69,324

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

St. Andrews$1,088

South Carolina avg$1,180

US$1,413

Median home value

St. Andrews$161,300

South Carolina avg$259,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to St. Andrews

Based on St. Andrews's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,176

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $43,520 a year
60% of St. Andrews renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$32,260

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $16,130
Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 23% below US

$1,088/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,088 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $161,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $161,300 · 60% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in Richland County is 4.6%, 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.

Richland County (county-wide)

Safety

456 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

St. Andrews doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Richland County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1797/100k · Policed by Richland County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 16% below US

22 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

74%

Work from home

12%

Carpool

8.4%

Other

3.1%

Walk

1.1%

Public transit

0.7%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 29% below US

26% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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

St. Andrews's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,088/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for St. Andrews →·All South Carolina cities →