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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-FOREST-ACRES-SC · Forest Acres, SC 10,491 pop · income 58th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Forest Acres
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Forest Acres on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Woodfield · lowest
38,394
Woodfield · lowest
38,394 median HH income
34.5% of the leader · rank #1
Yukon · near
76,408
Yukon · near
76,408 median HH income
68.6% of the leader · rank #2
Higginsville · near
76,409
Higginsville · near
76,409 median HH income
68.6% of the leader · rank #3
Forest Acres · this city
76,417
Forest Acres · this city
76,417 median HH income
68.6% of the leader · rank #4
Pine Plains · near
76,420
Pine Plains · near
76,420 median HH income
68.6% of the leader · rank #5
Emerson · near
76,424
Emerson · near
76,424 median HH income
68.6% of the leader · rank #6
Cheat Lake · highest
111,379
Cheat Lake · highest
111,379 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Forest Acres on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 10,491.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Forest Acres - the verdict
Forest Acres ranks in the 58th percentile for household income and the 9th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
58th
percentile, household income
58th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
9th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Forest Acres, SC
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 10,491 residents in Forest Acres, a small town within South Carolina. Households in Forest Acres report a median income of $76,417 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.0%. Home values in Forest Acres run a median of $260,500, and the median resident age is 41.7 years. Educational attainment runs 63.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 59.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 8 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 79% from five years earlier. Forest Acres's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3695.8 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, South Carolina scores 93.7 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,155 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 70.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Forest Acres's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to reported crime to housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Forest Acres, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is Forest Acres growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -239 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 8 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Forest Acres?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3695.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 62% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
How far does income reach against housing in Forest Acres?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Forest Acres?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Little River (10,457 residents, $64,590 income); Newberry (10,733 residents, $47,885 income); Garden (10,820 residents, $50,027 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Reading, OH (10,490 residents); Milton, FL (10,485 residents); Cheat Lake, WV (10,485 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Forest Acres?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
78.8%
Work from home
10.3%
Public transit
0.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 5,078 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 5.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
C+
City profile score · Forest Acres, SC
62/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A+
63.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living B
93.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate B-
5.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income C
$76,417
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
291 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Forest Acres profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 93/100 (A+) · 63.1%
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Poverty rate: 65/100 (B-) · 5.0%
Household income: 56/100 (C) · $76,417
Violent crime: 34/100 (F) · 291 /100k
Where Forest Acres sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Forest Acres's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Forest Acres highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Forest Acres, SC (this city): home $260,500, crime 3,696/100k
Reading, OH : home $184,200, crime 2,285/100k
Bastrop, TX : home $308,300, crime 3,665/100k
Sweetwater, TX : home $84,000, crime 1,621/100k
River Grove, IL : home $244,700, crime 1,532/100k
Newberry, SC : home $124,600, crime 3,698/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Forest Acres compare to other US cities?
Forest Acres measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income58% higher than other cities
Home value58% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety9% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to South Carolina alone, Forest Acres ranks #76 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Forest Acres against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
South Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Forest Acres near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Forest Acres ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Forest Acres only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#79 of 403
80th percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#76 of 404
81st percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#345 of 439
21st percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#17 of 441
96th percentile in South Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
58th percentile nationally for median household income · 9th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Forest Acres's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Forest Acres's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Forest Acres's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$260,50042nd percentilemore affordable than 42% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Forest Acres's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,608 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,406 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.4×, Forest Acres sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,608 of 15,516 and #1,406 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$76,417Forest Acres, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Forest Acres, SC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Forest Acres, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)63.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
10,491
Median Income
$76,417
Median Home Value
$260,500
Median Age
41.7
Poverty Rate
5.0%
Labor force participation
59.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
63.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3695.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
291.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3404.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Forest Acres's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
10,629 residents
2021
10,589 residents
2022
10,502 residents
2023
10,442 residents
2024
10,462 residents
2025
10,390 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
8
housing units authorized
Single-Family
8
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
38
38
0
$9.0M
2020
15
15
0
$5.6M
2021
19
19
0
$6.1M
2022
15
15
0
$4.2M
2023
14
14
0
$4.1M
2024
8
8
0
$4.1M
Permit volume decreased 79% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.8%
Carpool
7.2%
Public Transit
0.4%
Walk
1.1%
Work from Home
10.3%
Other
2.2%
Based on 5,078 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
South Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $224
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Carolina at $224 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are South Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Forest Acres. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
South Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.7 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Forest Acres is $1,155/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a South Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Forest Acres sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Forest Acres compares to similar-size South Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.