USDA eligibility in South Carolina: the income limits and the property map
Two gates decide whether USDA works for a South Carolina home: your household income and the property's spot on the map. A Lexington County buyer and a Horry County buyer clear the same two tests, but the exact income figure and the map boundary both shift by county. Here is how each gate works, from the Pee Dee to the Lowcountry.
USDA income limits in South Carolina: how the household count works
USDA caps eligibility at 115% of the area median income for your South Carolina county. Across most of the state, from Anderson in the Upstate to Sumter in the Midlands, that lands at $122,800 for a household of one to four people and $162,100 for five to eight, effective July 13, 2026. Two coastal areas run above the floor: the Charleston-North Charleston metro near $127,500 and Beaufort County near $126,650, where median household incomes top $86,000.
The part South Carolina buyers miss on a Greenville or Aiken purchase is who gets counted. USDA looks at every adult who will live in the home, so an adult child working in downtown Greenville, or a partner you leave off the Aiken County mortgage, still counts toward the household total. USDA also allows deductions, for dependents and childcare, that can pull an over-the-line Lexington County household back under. A quick self-check off your pay stub often gives the wrong answer in both directions.
| South Carolina county / area | 2026 USDA limit, 1-4 people | 2026 USDA limit, 5-8 people |
|---|---|---|
| Most counties (Aiken, Sumter, Florence, Anderson, Greenwood) | $122,800 | $162,100 |
| Charleston-North Charleston metro | ~$127,500 | ~$168,300 |
| Beaufort County (Lowcountry coast) | ~$126,650 | higher, per USDA |
Look up your exact county figure on the USDA income eligibility tool, because the Charleston and Beaufort numbers shift with the annual update. Rock Hill's York County, with a median income near $89,000, is another candidate to run above the $122,800 floor. If your income lands near the line, that is exactly when it pays to have someone run the South Carolina deductions before you assume you are out.
USDA property eligibility in South Carolina: reading the map
The home has to sit inside the USDA-eligible map, which in South Carolina excludes the metro cores and keeps the rural fringe of the same counties eligible. USDA pulls the cores of Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, and Florence out of the map. Everything from the Pee Dee farm belt to the rural Lowcountry to the Upstate foothills generally fills back in, and roughly 97% of U.S. land area qualifies.
The eligible line runs surprisingly close to the South Carolina cities. Rural Charleston County towns like Ravenel and Hollywood are in, even though the Charleston peninsula is out; Woodruff and Chesnee qualify a short drive from Spartanburg; and Aynor and Loris sit inside the map while the Grand Strand at Myrtle Beach does not. The map updated to 2020-census boundaries, which shifted some Berkeley County and York County areas in and others out.
| Near this South Carolina metro | Generally USDA-eligible towns (verify per address) |
|---|---|
| Charleston (peninsula out) | Ravenel, Hollywood, McClellanville, St. George, Ridgeville |
| Columbia (city out) | Eastover, Hopkins, Gilbert, Pelion, Swansea, Batesburg-Leesville |
| Greenville / Spartanburg (cores out) | Woodruff, Chesnee, Landrum, Inman, Gray Court |
| Myrtle Beach (Grand Strand out) | Aynor, Loris, Green Sea, Longs |
| Florence / Pee Dee (city out) | Lake City, Timmonsville, Johnsonville, Pamplico |
Do not trust a ZIP code for a South Carolina address. A single ZIP can fall partly inside and partly outside the boundary, so two houses on the same Blythewood or Cane Bay street can get different answers. Fast-growing spots to check first include Travelers Rest and Fountain Inn near Greenville, Chapin near Columbia, the Nexton corridor in Berkeley County, and the Clover and Lake Wylie edge in York County. Enter the full South Carolina address into the USDA property eligibility map, or use our checker below and we will read the Berkeley or Lexington County map for you.
We geocode the address and read the live USDA eligibility map. Informational only. USDA makes the final determination on a complete application.
The third gate: occupancy and property type
USDA is for owner-occupied primary residences only, so a Myrtle Beach vacation condo or a Charleston short-term rental is out, and it is meant for buyers who do not already own a suitable home nearby. Eligible property types across South Carolina include existing homes, new construction in a Nexton or Cane Bay development, condos and PUDs, and new manufactured homes titled as real property. An existing manufactured home on a Horry County lot generally does not qualify unless it already carries a USDA loan.
The coast adds one more line item to eligibility math. In Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Beaufort, Horry, and Georgetown counties, a home in a FEMA flood zone requires flood insurance, and under current NFIP pricing that premium commonly runs from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a year. USDA folds that cost into your housing ratio, so on a Lowcountry purchase near Walterboro or Moncks Corner it can decide how much home you qualify for. Being in a USDA-eligible rural area and being in a flood zone are two separate maps that can both cover the same Georgetown County home, so pull a flood-zone determination before you shop.
South Carolina down-payment assistance that pairs with USDA
SC Housing, the state's housing finance authority, runs help that layers onto a USDA first mortgage. Its Made It Home program provides up to $25,000 as a 0% second, forgiven after ten years, for households earning up to about $135,000, which covers most Aiken, Sumter, and Florence buyers. Because USDA already needs no down payment, that SC Housing assistance goes toward closing costs and prepaids rather than a down payment. One correction worth flagging: the Palmetto Heroes program for public servants is shown closed for the 2026 cycle, and SC Housing moved its site to schousing.sc.gov, so confirm current terms through an approved lender before you count on any specific pairing.
Outdated South Carolina USDA numbers still floating around
A lot of USDA content aimed at South Carolina buyers is stale, and it costs real money. If a Spartanburg-focused page shows the 1-4-person income limit as $119,850, it predates the July 13, 2026 increase to $122,800 (Procedure Notice 657), and the $112,450 figure some Columbia listings still cite is older still. If it tells a Greenville buyer the guarantee fee is 2.75% or 3.5%, that is the statutory ceiling, not the 1.0% upfront and 0.35% annual actually charged since 2016. And if it says USDA has a maximum loan amount in Charleston or Columbia, it is confusing the Guaranteed program with the separate Section 502 Direct program, which is the only one that uses a county area loan limit.
South Carolina USDA eligibility questions
Does USDA count all household income or just the borrower's, for a South Carolina purchase?
USDA counts every adult who will live in the home toward the limit, not only the borrowers, whether you buy in Aiken, Sumter, or a Lexington County town like Gilbert. A working adult child in the house counts, and a spouse you leave off a Florence County mortgage still counts. The 2026 cap is $122,800 for a one-to-four-person household across most of South Carolina, so the household total is what decides it.
What is the 2026 USDA income limit in South Carolina?
Across most of South Carolina, the 2026 USDA limit is $122,800 for one to four people and $162,100 for five to eight, effective July 13, 2026. The Charleston-North Charleston metro runs higher, near $127,500, and Beaufort County near $126,650, because area incomes there are higher. Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Myrtle Beach use the $122,800 standard.
How do I check whether a South Carolina address is USDA-eligible?
Enter the exact street address into the USDA map at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov, not the ZIP, because one ZIP can split a street in fast-growing spots like Blythewood, Cane Bay, or Travelers Rest. About 97% of U.S. land qualifies, and in South Carolina that covers the Pee Dee, the rural Lowcountry, and the Upstate outside the city cores. Rural Charleston County towns like Ravenel and Hollywood are in, while the Charleston peninsula is out.
Which South Carolina areas fall outside the USDA map?
The ineligible cores are Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, and Florence proper. The eligible line fills back in quickly: Woodruff and Chesnee near Spartanburg, Aynor and Loris in inland Horry County, and St. George and Ridgeville in Dorchester County all qualify. Because eligibility runs per address, the boundary can cut mid-street near Nexton in Berkeley County and Fountain Inn south of Greenville.