# Pickens, South Carolina — #1,013 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.60 of 10. FIPS 45077. Population 135,495. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 135,500 people live in Pickens, South Carolina. It ranks #1,013 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #1 of 46 in South Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.43% of a home's value each year, less than in 87% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 84% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 70% of counties. Life expectancy is about 75.1 years, shorter than in 55% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 67% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 45), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 76% of counties. 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 | 5.55 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.62 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.40 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.85 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.60 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 5.10 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.39 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 5.46 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #505 Transylvania, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37175.md
- #1734 Anderson, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45007.md
- #1213 Oconee, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45073.md
- #1436 Greenville, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45045.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/45077
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=45077
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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