City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Seneca, SC

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Seneca — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

8,910
Residents
$52,207
Median income
$223,100
Median home
$1,155
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Seneca, SC

Seneca is a city in South Carolina with a population of 8,910 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $52,207 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 17.1%. Typical homes in Seneca are valued around $223,100, and the median resident age is 39.9 years. About 29.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 54.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 118 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 131% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2339.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, South Carolina registers 93.7 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,155 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $224 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

8,910 residents

Census ACS 2023 — South Carolina

Median Household Income

$52,207 /yr

Poverty 17.1%

Cost of Living Index

93.7 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Seneca compare to other US cities?

Where Seneca sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 23% higher than other cities
Home value 49% pricier than other cities
Median rent 46% pricier than other cities
Safety 25% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Seneca against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Seneca, SC Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Seneca, SC. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Seneca, SC — median $52,207/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Seneca, SC — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 29.2%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 17.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 54.9%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
8,910
Median Income
$52,207
Median Home Value
$223,100
Median Age
39.9
Poverty Rate
17.1%
Labor force participation
54.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.2%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
2339.1
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
615.0
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1724.1
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
118
housing units authorized
Single-Family
78
detached homes
Multifamily
40
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
13.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 51
2020 56
2021 68
2022 71
2023 79
2024 118

Permit volume increased 131% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
80.3%
Carpool
14.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
3.6%

Based on 4,101 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for South Carolina — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$52
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$224
estimated/month

Estimates reflect South Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

South Carolina state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
93.7
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,155/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
70.7 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Seneca, SC Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Seneca, SC — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Seneca compares to nearby South Carolina cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Seneca) plus the nearest peer cities in South Carolina, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

SC

Seneca

52.21% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$52,207
Brackets
9
Selected

SC

Lancaster

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$870
Brackets
9
Selected

SC

York

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$870
Brackets
9
Selected

SC

Hardeeville

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$930
Brackets
9
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Seneca, SC?

What is the population of Seneca, SC? +

Seneca, SC has a population of 8,910 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Seneca, SC? +

The median household income in Seneca is $52,207 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Seneca? +

Seneca has a cost of living index of 93.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Seneca, SC safe? +

Seneca has a total crime rate of 2339.1 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Seneca, SC? +

The median home value in Seneca is $223,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →