# Beaufort, South Carolina — #1,364 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.40 of 10. FIPS 45013. Population 198,979. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 199,000 people live in Beaufort, South Carolina. It ranks #1,364 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #3 of 46 in South Carolina. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.5% of a home's value each year, less than in 79% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 94% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 85% of counties. Life expectancy is at least 80 years, longer than in 91% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 71% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 45), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in almost every other county. On this site's state scores, South Carolina gets 6.84 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.84 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.47 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.71 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 5.86 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.50 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.05 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 10.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 9.48 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 2.90 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2936 Colleton, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45029.md
- #2646 Jasper, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45053.md
- #2873 Hampton, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45049.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/45013
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=45013
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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