Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetSC-ROCK-HILL-SC · Rock Hill, SC 74,769 pop · income 43rd pct · 55 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 Rock Hill
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Rock Hill on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sumter · lowest
53,071
Sumter · lowest
53,071 median HH income
43.7% of the leader · rank #1
Golden Gate · near
64,767
Golden Gate · near
64,767 median HH income
53.4% of the leader · rank #2
Rock Hill · this city
64,770
Rock Hill · this city
64,770 median HH income
53.4% of the leader · rank #3
Warren · near
64,773
Warren · near
64,773 median HH income
53.4% of the leader · rank #4
Bloomingburg · near
64,776
Bloomingburg · near
64,776 median HH income
53.4% of the leader · rank #5
Hendron · near
64,777
Hendron · near
64,777 median HH income
53.4% of the leader · rank #6
Mount Pleasant · highest
121,364
Mount Pleasant · highest
121,364 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 Rock Hill 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: 74,769.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Rock Hill - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Rock Hill places in the 43rd percentile for household income and the 18th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
43rd
percentile, household income
59th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
18th
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: Rock Hill, SC
74,769 people live in Rock Hill, South Carolina - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Rock Hill report a median income of $64,770 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.2%. Home values in Rock Hill run a median of $267,400, and the median resident age is 35.7 years. Educational attainment runs 34.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 63.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 321 residential building permits were authorized in Rock Hill (Construction Slowdown), down 26% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Rock Hill's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2789.1 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. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,155 monthly. 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 Rock Hill'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 reported crime to work and mobility to housing and income to within-city variation to population change to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Rock Hill, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Rock Hill?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2789.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 22% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the journey to work look like in Rock Hill?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What can 55 Census tracts reveal inside Rock Hill?
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.
PlainCities matches 55 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Rock Hill?
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are Greenville (71,755 residents, $68,460 income); Mount Pleasant (92,662 residents, $121,364 income); Summerville (51,262 residents, $78,621 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Appleton, WI (74,873 residents); Broomfield, CO (75,110 residents); Missouri City, TX (75,234 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.
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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Rock Hill?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$64,770
Home value
$267,400
Value / income
4.1×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Rock Hill growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,280 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 321 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+1.7%
2025 estimate
75,911
2020 estimate
74,631
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the education layer cover for Rock Hill?
The NCES join finds 27 public schools within the city match. 34.5% 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.
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.
Matched public schools
27
Bachelor's degree+
34.5%
Poverty estimate
8.2%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 8.2% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
D
City profile score · Rock Hill, SC
48/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B-
34.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate D
8.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income D
$64,770
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
441 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Rock Hill profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Bachelor's+ share: 66/100 (B-) · 34.5%
Poverty rate: 47/100 (D) · 8.2%
Household income: 42/100 (D) · $64,770
Violent crime: 20/100 (F) · 441 /100k
Where Rock Hill sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Rock Hill'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 - Rock Hill highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
Rock Hill, SC (this city): home $267,400, crime 2,789/100k
Appleton, WI : home $211,500, crime 1,549/100k
Broomfield, CO : home $631,600, crime 2,004/100k
Missouri City, TX : home $281,600, crime 1,191/100k
Iowa City, IA : home $273,600, crime 1,995/100k
Pawtucket, RI : home $286,200, crime 1,819/100k
Bismarck, ND : home $291,400, crime 2,678/100k
Greenville, SC : home $453,300, crime 4,113/100k
Mount Pleasant, SC : home $667,100, crime 1,300/100k
Summerville, SC : home $295,700, crime 1,991/100k
Goose Creek, SC : home $279,500, crime 1,722/100k
Sumter, SC : home $188,400, crime 4,804/100k
Florence, SC : home $189,800, crime 4,725/100k
How does Rock Hill compare to other US cities?
Where Rock Hill sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income43% higher than other cities
Home value59% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety18% 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, Rock Hill ranks #57 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 Rock Hill 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 Rock Hill near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Rock Hill ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Rock Hill only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#116 of 403
71st percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#70 of 404
83rd percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#286 of 439
34th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#76 of 441
83rd 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
43rd percentile nationally for median household income · 18th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Rock Hill's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Rock Hill'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 Rock Hill's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$267,40041st percentilemore affordable than 41% 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
Rock Hill's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,051 of 15,516
More affordable than 29% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#324 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 4.1×, Rock Hill sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,051 of 15,516 and #324 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
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
$64,770Rock Hill, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Rock Hill, 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 Rock Hill, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)34.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
74,769
Median Income
$64,770
Median Home Value
$267,400
Median Age
35.7
Poverty Rate
8.2%
Labor force participation
63.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
34.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2789.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
440.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2348.1
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
27
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Rock Hill's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
74,631 residents
2021
74,646 residents
2022
75,225 residents
2023
75,552 residents
2024
75,797 residents
2025
75,911 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
321
housing units authorized
Single-Family
180
detached homes
Multifamily
141
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
433
258
175
$100.9M
2020
219
219
0
$59.2M
2021
680
306
374
$122.7M
2022
469
248
221
$112.7M
2023
217
158
59
$62.6M
2024
321
180
141
$112.1M
Permit volume decreased 26% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.1%
Carpool
8.0%
Public Transit
0.8%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
9.3%
Other
1.1%
Based on 37,584 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 Rock Hill. 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 Rock Hill 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 Rock Hill sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Rock Hill 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.