Lake City, SC — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·South Carolina·Lake City

Florence County · Florence · population 5,916

AffordabilitySmall-town feel
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
54
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Lake City stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $127,543
1-year +0.7%
5-yr CAGR +2.8%
vs 5-yr peak -5.0%
Population +0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-07$128k$71k$94k$117k$140k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
10/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
46/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
54 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
52 · w22%
Distance from peak
60 · w18%
Population growth
46 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
62 · w10%
Long thesis

Lake City has held up across the cycle: home values at $127,543 with +2.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Lake City is a small market with thin transaction volume and modest appreciation. The bear case is liquidity: when you eventually sell, your buyer pool is small, slow, and price-sensitive.

About Lake City

Lake City is a city in Florence County, South Carolina, with an estimated population of 5,916. It anchors the Florence metro area. The median home value in Lake City is $127,543 as of 2026-04, up 0.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.8% annual growth (-5.0% from the 5-year peak). The composite momentum score is 54 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Cheap entry point: $127,543 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.
○The data is the data: Lake City has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Florence County right now.

NWS active alerts (SC)South Carolina Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Florence County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Lake City

Orangeburg, SC58 · StableUnion, SC50 · StableBatesburg-Leesville, SC60 · StableSumter, SC63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Lake City

ToolCan I afford Lake City?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Lake City rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Lake City to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolLake City cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
57° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
220
~60% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
2″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Lake City listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Florence area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$63,600
South Carolina state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)TourismHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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