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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-GAFFNEY-SC · Gaffney, SC 12,612 pop · income 9th pct · 16 tracts
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 Gaffney
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Gaffney on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Orangeburg · lowest
33,066
Orangeburg · lowest
33,066 median HH income
23.4% of the leader · rank #1
Duquesne · near
41,208
Duquesne · near
41,208 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #2
Gaffney · this city
41,214
Gaffney · this city
41,214 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #3
Bonnetsville · near
41,217
Bonnetsville · near
41,217 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #4
Hammond · near
41,222
Hammond · near
41,222 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #5
Walnut Grove · near
41,223
Walnut Grove · near
41,223 median HH income
29.2% of the leader · rank #6
Tega Cay · highest
141,037
Tega Cay · highest
141,037 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 Gaffney 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: 12,612.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Gaffney - the verdict
Nationally, Gaffney sits in the 9th percentile for household income and the 6th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
9th
percentile, household income
24th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
6th
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: Gaffney, SC
South Carolina's Gaffney is a small town, with 12,612 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $41,214 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 19.4%. Gaffney's housing stock carries a median value of $141,100, and the median resident age is 32.8 years. Educational attainment runs 21.8% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 48.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 55 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 1275% from five years earlier. Gaffney's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 4403.6 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not 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. Monthly utility costs average around $224 across South Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Gaffney report an average commute of 17.1 minutes, with 77.8% driving alone and 4.9% working from home. 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 Gaffney'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 within-city variation to reported crime to work and mobility to schools and households to comparison shortlist to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Gaffney, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can 16 Census tracts reveal inside Gaffney?
PlainCities matches 16 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Gaffney?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 4403.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 93% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Gaffney?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.8%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.1 minutes.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Gaffney?
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 Boiling Springs (12,609 residents, $79,798 income); Parker (12,564 residents, $38,607 income); Orangeburg (13,189 residents, $33,066 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are St. Marys, PA (12,612 residents); Fulton, MO (12,611 residents); Brown Deer, WI (12,615 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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Gaffney?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 11 public schools within the city match. 21.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
19.4%
Bachelor's degree+
21.8%
Matched public schools
11
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Gaffney?
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 19.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.4×
Home value
$141,100
Household income
$41,214
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -139 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 55 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.
2020 estimate
12,722
2025 estimate
12,583
Period change
-1.1%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 19.4% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
F
City profile score · Gaffney, SC
34/100
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.
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.
Violent crime D
226 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share D
21.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
19.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$41,214
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Gaffney profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Violent crime: 44/100 (D) · 226 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 40/100 (D) · 21.8%
Poverty rate: 14/100 (F) · 19.4%
Household income: 8/100 (F) · $41,214
Where Gaffney sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Gaffney'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 - Gaffney highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Gaffney, SC (this city): home $141,100, crime 4,404/100k
Fulton, MO : home $144,500, crime 1,295/100k
Brown Deer, WI : home $221,100, crime 2,960/100k
Lewisburg, TN : home $183,400, crime 2,648/100k
Orangeburg, SC : home $145,000, crime 7,455/100k
Tega Cay, SC : home $494,500, crime 325/100k
Irmo, SC : home $193,100, crime 1,807/100k
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 Gaffney compare to other US cities?
Where Gaffney sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income9% higher than other cities
Home value24% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety6% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at South Carolina, Gaffney ranks #86 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Gaffney 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 Gaffney near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Gaffney ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Gaffney only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#286 of 403
29th percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#229 of 404
43rd percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#140 of 439
68th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#169 of 441
61st 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
9th percentile nationally for median household income · 6th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Gaffney's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Gaffney'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 Gaffney's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$141,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 76% 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
Gaffney'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
#8,669 of 15,516
More affordable than 44% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,420 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.4×, Gaffney sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,669 of 15,516 and #1,420 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
$41,214Gaffney, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Gaffney, 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 Gaffney, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,612
Median Income
$41,214
Median Home Value
$141,100
Median Age
32.8
Poverty Rate
19.4%
Labor force participation
48.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4403.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
225.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
4177.8
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.
Schools
Total Schools
11
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Gaffney's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,722 residents
2021
12,577 residents
2022
12,460 residents
2023
12,524 residents
2024
12,542 residents
2025
12,583 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
55
housing units authorized
Single-Family
21
detached homes
Multifamily
34
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
4
4
0
$0.3M
2020
6
6
0
$0.8M
2021
2
2
0
$0.3M
2022
5
5
0
$0.5M
2023
15
15
0
$1.5M
2024
55
21
34
$5.6M
Permit volume increased 1275% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.1 minutes
Drive Alone
77.8%
Carpool
9.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
4.1%
Work from Home
4.9%
Other
3.6%
Based on 4,782 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 Gaffney. 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 Gaffney 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 Gaffney sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Gaffney 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, NCES CCD, 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.