City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Sheldon, SC

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

536
Residents
$30,239
Median income
$1,816
Median rent (state)

Sheldon - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Sheldon places in the 3rd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

3rd
percentile, household income
76th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Sheldon, SC

South Carolina's Sheldon is a small town, with 536 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Sheldon brings in $30,239 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 44.0 years. Educational attainment runs 9.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 33.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 93.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,816 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 97.1 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

536 residents

Census ACS 2023 - South Carolina

Median Household Income

$30,239 /yr

Poverty 0.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

93.7 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average

How does Sheldon compare to other US cities?

Here's how Sheldon stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 3% higher than other cities
Median rent 76% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Sheldon's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in South Carolina, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

3rdIncome percentile

3rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Sheldon, SC Sheldon, SC's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Sheldon, SC-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Sheldon, SC median $30,239/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern 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%
Sheldon, SC's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Sheldon, SC. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 9.4%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 33.3%

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

Population
536
Median Income
$30,239
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
44.0
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
33.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
9.4%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
67.4%
Carpool
19.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Other
13.6%

Based on 184 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

Cost of living is a South Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Sheldon sits in

Cost of Living Index
93.7
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,816/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
97.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Sheldon's 536 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Sheldon's $30,239 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Sheldon, 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 Sheldon, SC - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 21.1% 75.8% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.2% White 21.1% Black or African American 75.8% Asian 0.0% American Indian 0.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 0.0% Two or more races 3.2% 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.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Sheldon compares to nearby South Carolina cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Sheldon (this city) 536 $30,239
Bonneau 536 $58,750
Lane 531 $35,726
Eutawville 530 N/A
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Sheldon, SC?

What is the population of Sheldon, SC? +

The population of Sheldon, SC stands at 536 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

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

In Sheldon, the typical household earns $30,239 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Sheldon? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Sheldon; the closest available measure is the South Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 93.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within South Carolina vary by metro area.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.