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Lowest measured density of restaurants in South Carolina

South Carolina has 14 ZIP codes where published counts of restaurants are statistically below the U.S. rate. Coverage is the South Carolina counties on this site, not the whole state. Same filters as the radius search. Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024.

Includes: Sit-down restaurants with table service. Counted together because official statistics use one 722511 code.

Statistically low ZIPs
14
Poisson p < 0.05
Comparable ZIPs
91
published count ≥ 5, ≥ 10,000 residents
U.S. rate
6.4
per 10,000 present

Coverage. Only the South Carolina counties BizGapMap covers, not the whole state. A missing state page means no ZIP there cleared the test — we do not publish an empty list.

Lowest measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A low published count can mean weak demand, no suitable space, commuters spending elsewhere, or businesses with no paid employees that ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally.

False positives. The test is one-sided at 5% with no correction for looking at many ZIPs. Of 91 comparable ZIPs here, about 5 could clear the bar by chance. Small ZIPs rarely reach significance, so “not on this list” does not mean “no gap”.

ZIP codes

ZIPCityCounty RestaurantsExpected IndexBandZIP type ResidentsTest
29203 Columbia Richland County 11 33.7 33% Far below average Mixed 40,653 p < 0.001
29909 Okatie Beaufort County 6 16.1 37% Far below average Residential 24,003 p < 0.01
29626 Anderson Anderson County 5 11.1 45% Far below average Residential 13,928 p ≈ 0.036
29073 Lexington Lexington County 17 36.2 47% Far below average Residential 53,156 p < 0.001
29627 Belton Anderson County 6 12.3 49% Far below average Residential 18,274 p ≈ 0.039
29687 Taylors Greenville County 16 31.0 52% Below average Residential 44,861 p < 0.01
29016 Blythewood Richland County 11 21.3 52% Below average Residential 30,454 p ≈ 0.011
29303 Spartanburg Spartanburg County 15 27.9 54% Below average Mixed 28,381 p < 0.01
29605 Greenville Greenville County 19 34.0 56% Below average Mixed 40,717 p < 0.01
29349 Inman Spartanburg County 15 26.4 57% Below average Residential 39,083 p ≈ 0.012
29644 Fountain Inn Greenville County 10 17.1 59% Below average Residential 22,907 p ≈ 0.047
29745 York York County 15 24.7 61% Below average Residential 34,909 p ≈ 0.026
29209 Columbia Richland County 18 29.2 62% Below average Residential 38,041 p ≈ 0.019
29715 Fort Mill York County 25 37.9 66% Below average Mixed 46,865 p ≈ 0.017

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns. Sorted by measured density, lowest first.

How this is built

Who can be listed. ZIPs in the covered counties whose county has at least 15 ZIPs in our data, with at least 10,000 residents, and at least 5 published businesses in this industry. Census hides counts of 0–2; derived remainders are excluded.

Statistically low. P(X ≤ n | expected) < 0.05, where expected is the U.S. establishments-per-person-present rate times this ZIP’s demand (residents + 0.5 × jobs located here). Same definition as the index, so the percentage and the test cannot disagree. Full test →

ZIP type is jobs per resident, not zoning. A residential ZIP can look low because residents shop near work.

Questions

What does “lowest measured density” mean for restaurants? A ZIP is listed only when Census published at least 5 restaurants with paid employees, the ZIP has at least 10,000 residents, and a one-sided Poisson test finds the count statistically below the U.S. rate (p < 0.05). Index 100% is the national density per person present.

Is a low-density ZIP a place to open this kind of business? No. A low published count of restaurants can mean weak demand, no suitable space, residents shopping near work, or businesses with no paid employees that Census ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally, not a recommendation.

Why is a state missing from this list? A state page exists only when at least one ZIP in the counties we cover clears the same test as the radius search. We do not publish an empty list. Coverage is those counties, not the whole state.

← All states for restaurants  ·  Restaurants in South Carolina (county totals)  ·  Search by radius

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.