Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Missouri instead of South Carolina, you would:
Economy
be 32.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Carolina, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Missouri, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 12.9% more money
South Carolina has a GDP per capita of $49,914 as of 2024, while in Missouri, the GDP per capita is $56,344 as of 2024.
Housing & Income
pay 11.5% less in rent
The median monthly gross rent in South Carolina is $1,126 as of 2023, while in Missouri, it is $996 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 1.9 minutes less
The average one-way commute in South Carolina takes 25.6 minutes as of 2023. In Missouri, it takes 23.7 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 49.6% less densely populated
South Carolina has a population density of 69.1 people per sq km as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 34.8 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 18.5% more likely to smoke
In South Carolina, 15.7% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Missouri, that number is 18.6% as of 2022.
be 27.6% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In South Carolina, 2.9% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Missouri, that number is 2.1% as of 2023.
be 22.6% more likely to be food insecure
In South Carolina, 9.3% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Missouri, that number is 11.4% as of 2021.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
