Hampton County, South Carolina · Hampton
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Hampton County averages 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 17% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.8 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
17% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Hampton County, 9.2 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
10% of occupied homes in Hampton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 126 times a year in Hampton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 18,254 people live in Hampton County, 560 square miles in southern South Carolina, in roughly 8,645 homes. Hampton is the county seat; Varnville, Estill and Furman are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1984.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hampton County ranks 18 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hampton County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Hampton County is milder than most of South Carolina, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 24 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 40th of 46 counties.
With only about 24 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 15°F, on December 25, 2022.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of South Carolina. The county gets about 52.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.8 days of an inch or more (10th of 46). Those downpours cluster in January, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 9.2 inches on October 8, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 11.67 inches (through August 8, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 24 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 44% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Hampton among the oldest housing stocks of South Carolina's 46 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 17% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
38% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 35% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 126 times a year here, above the South Carolina county median of 113.5. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Hampton County's occupied homes: 9% utility gas, 80% electric, 9% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the South Carolina norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hampton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Allendale gets more pipe-freeze nights than Hampton. Allendale County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hampton | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 15% | 15 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 40% | 15 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 25% | 38 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 35% | 22% | 5 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 16% | 19 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.7% | 5.1% | 12 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 2/yr | 40 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 12/yr | 10 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 24/yr | 35/yr | 40 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 126/yr | 114/yr | 6 of 46 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest South Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Hampton County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, June and July.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology