Population
655 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Carolina
City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Unity, SC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Unity - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 655
- Residents
- $37,037
- Median income
- $1,011
- Median rent (state)
Unity - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Unity lands in the 6th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
- 6th
- percentile, household income
- 21st
- 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: Unity, SC
655 people live in Unity, South Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Unity households earn a median of $37,037 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 49.4%. The median resident age is 40.5 years. Educational attainment runs 3.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 37.3% 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 $1,011 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 79.4 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
Median Household Income
$37,037 /yr
Poverty 49.4%
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
How does Unity compare to other US cities?
Here's how Unity stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 6% higher than other cities
Median rent 21% 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 Unity'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.
6th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 3.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 49.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 37.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
655
Median Income
$37,037
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
40.5
Poverty Rate
49.4%
Labor force participation
37.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
3.3%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
83.8%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
4.0%
Other
12.2%
Based on 198 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 Unity sits in
Cost of Living Index
93.7
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,011/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
79.4 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in South Carolina
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Unity's 655 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Unity's $37,037 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Unity 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unity (this city) | 655 | $37,037 |
| Harleyville | 653 | $60,231 |
| Lake View | 661 | $31,033 |
| Cash | 645 | N/A |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Unity, SC?
What is the population of Unity, SC? +
The population of Unity, SC stands at 655 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Unity, SC? +
The median household income in Unity is $37,037 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Unity? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Unity; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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 EditorialEvery 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.