Best In South Carolina Real Estate™: Columbia

Dentsville, South Carolina, has the highest rent-to-income ratio in the state at 33.0% — meaning renters spend over a third of their annual income on housing. This is not a national average, but a local stress point in the Midlands metro. What does this reveal about the real estate market in Columbia? It shows that even in a resilient market with strong job growth and low vacancy, affordability is fracturing. The same forces that push renters to the edge are also driving a rise in accidental landlords — homeowners choosing to rent rather than sell. This is not a solution to supply shortages; it’s a symptom of pricing power loss. The data comes directly from ALEX Intelligence’s 2026 Rent vs. Pay Ranking: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-02-columbia-sc-rent-to-income-place-mkt. How are you addressing localized affordability stress in your strategy? Annual Rent Against Local Pay, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Census Bureau 2024) #1 Dentsville — 33.0% #2 Woodfield — 30.8% #3 St. Andrews — 28.1% #4 West Columbia — 25.3% #5 Seven Oaks — 23.8% #6 Lexington — 21.3% #7 Red Bank — 20.5% #8 Lake Murray of Richland — 19.6% #9 Forest Acres — 19.4% #10 Camden — 18.0% Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142524978; Slide 2: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142524988; Slide 3: Farragutful (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=65715872; Slide 4: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142525165 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-11-02-columbia-sc-rent-to-income-place-mkt View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902