GEORGETOWN, SC- An online report lists Georgetown as the poorest city in South Carolina.
The U.S. Census lists Georgetown’s median household income as $26,330, which is significantly less than the state’s average of $44,779. In addition, Georgetown’s poverty rate is 29.5% compared to the national average of 10.5%.
Georgetown Economic Development Director Tee Miller doesn’t quite believe the “poorest” city label, but said the city has had very little growth over the last decade.
“We’ve had no one really moving in and so this is the same people we’re an aging population and so the poverty is getting worse and the household income drops,” stated Miller.
Charnele Monroe lives in public housing with her one year-old son.
“I don’t have a job because there aren’t many jobs in Georgetown right now that are hiring,” said Monroe.
She’s currently taking classes to get her high school diploma, but she plans on building her future elsewhere.
“I’m trying to get out of here as soon as tomorrow,” she said. “Georgetown is not a place to be.”
Miller said people will often work in Georgetown, but live in neighboring cities like Charleston and Myrtle Beach.
“We need to actually make it a, more attractive place to live,” he said.
He hopes to attract more businesses to the area.
“We’ve got incredible history, culture and natural resources and so we need to find ways to leverage those,” said Miller.
The Georgetown steel mill will close later this year and that leaves over 200 people without a job. Miller said it’s definitely a set back, but he sees the closure as an opportunity to build something even better for the city.
