10 Terrible South Carolina Facts

The good news for South Carolina is than most of the facts provided in this report by United Health Foundation are things we – as individuals – can improve upon. Number 1 might be a little out of reach from an individual standpoint – and that is why it’s #1 on this list of disgusting South Carolina facts.

South Carolina ranks 47 out of 50 when it comes to personal income available to afford a healthy lifestyle and appropriate healthcare.

Flickr/elycefeliz

South Carolina ranks 5th from the top for having the most violent crimes.

Flickr/Izzard

Our pregnancy numbers are really low. SC ranks 4th from the top in the U.S. for the most preterm births and for having low birth weight infants.

Flickr/Government of Alberta public domain

We are in the top 10 states with the worst obesity rates in the country.

Flickr/Tony Alter

And on that note, we could stand to eat a lot more vegetables. We rank 42 in daily vegetable consumption!

Flickr/Jeremy Keith

South Carolina ranks 15 in the worst “underemployment” rates in the U.S.

Flickr/Lower Columbia College

More than 1 out of 5 South Carolinians over the age of 18 admits to being a “smoker.” 21.5% to be exact, and that makes the Palmetto State the 8th smokiest place in the country.

Flickr/Shannon Holmon

We have more poor mental health days than most of the country. In 2015, South Carolinians reported that they experienced poor mental health days an average of 4.2 out of every 30 days. The national average is 3.7 days.

Flickr/Daniel Oines

The national average of occupational fatalities per 100,000 workers is 3.7 per year. The numbers are averaged over a three-year period. South Carolina has more than the average amount of occupational fatalities. We rank 31 and have an average of 4.8 work-related deaths per year.

Flickr/Dennis Jarvis

One-fourth of us are certified “couch potatoes.” In 2015, that desire to do no exercise outside of work landed us in the #38 slot in the U.S., making us the 13th worst state for “doing nothing.”

Flickr/dominique bergeron

It looks like we have our work cut out for us, but we’ve accomplished bigger feats in the history of this great state. Compared to the Great Depression, the recent banking crisis and resulting foreclosures and a war that started right here on our own soil, getting up off that sofa or eating a few more vegetables should be a piece of cake, right?