Marion County, South Carolina · Marion
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Marion County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.2 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Marion County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 33 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Marion County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
About 118 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 14,505 homes and around 28,664 residents, Marion County is 489 square miles of eastern South Carolina. Marion is the county seat; Mullins, Daviston and Nichols are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Marion County ranks 9 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marion County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Marion County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 2 nights a year at or below 20°F (20th of 46) and 33 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 21 and end around Mar 13.
Rainfall is about average for South Carolina. The county gets about 53.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.2 days of an inch or more (22nd of 46). Those downpours cluster in June, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 7.27 inches on August 31, 2023. The worst three-day stretch dropped 12.19 inches, ending October 9, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 33 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
48% of homes in Marion County predate 1980, above the South Carolina county median of 39.8%, which ranks 9th of South Carolina's 46 counties.
Before 1960 is when 21% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
30% 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.
32% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the South Carolina county median of 22%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Renters occupy 37% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Marion County averages 118 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Marion County homes break down as 8% utility gas, 86% electric, 5% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Marion County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dillon gets more pipe-freeze nights than Marion. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marion | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 15% | 9 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 40% | 9 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 25% | 32 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 32% | 22% | 8 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 16% | 21 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.9% | 5.1% | 25 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 20 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 22 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 33/yr | 35/yr | 26 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 118/yr | 114/yr | 12 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 Marion County: freezing from January, heavy rain in June, August and September.
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