Town · South Carolina
Wagener, South Carolina
Wagener, town, in Aiken County, South Carolina. Wagener had 693 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 8.3% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 631 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,193 (±413). GEOID 4574050.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
693
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 631 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,193 ±413
Median household income
$48,621
±$5,166 (90% margin)
South Carolina: $69,324
Median home value
$156,300
±$141,445 (90% margin)
South Carolina: $259,000
Median gross rent
$638
±$278 (90% margin)
South Carolina: $1,180
Where is Wagener and what county is it in?
Wagener is a town in Aiken County, South Carolina. It covers 1.4 square miles of land, 465 residents per square mile in 2020.
Wagener is in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 7 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Wagener, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 693 people lived in Wagener on July 1, 2025, up 8.3% since 2020, slower than South Carolina (+8.8%). The 2020 Census counted 631 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,193 (±413).
| Measure | Wagener | Aiken County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,193 ±413 | 174,160 | no clear change |
| Households | 480 ±173 | 69,916 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.46 ±0.50 | 2.45 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 537 ±177 | 80,008 | no clear change |
Wagener's population since 2000
From 863 in 2000 to 693 in 2025: down 19.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Wagener as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Wagener?
The median resident of Wagener is 36.6 years old; 22.1% are under 18 and 23.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic Black residents at 50.1%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 41.9%.
| Measure | Wagener | Aiken County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.6 ±14.7 | 42.0 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 22.1% ±10.5 pts | 21.5% | – |
| 65 years and over | 23.5% ±13.8 pts | 20.8% | – |
| Male | 39.6% ±8.1 pts | 48.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.0% ±1.4 pts | 7.2% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 41.9% ±16.5 pts | 63.5% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 50.1% ±16.3 pts | 23.7% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.7 pts | 0.9% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.7 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.7 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4.9% ±5.4 pts | 4.0% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 2.1% ±3.4 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 1.4% ±1.6 pts | 3.3% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.6% ±0.8 pts | 6.0% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 16.7% ±7.3 pts | 9.8% | – |
| With a disability | 23.1% ±5.9 pts | 15.8% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 3.2% ±2.7 pts | 8.8% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 92.6% ±6.1 pts | 90.5% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 23.1% ±12.4 pts | 31.9% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 13.3% ±13.6 pts | 12.1% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 96.4% ±3.6 pts | 90.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.7% ±0.8 pts | 4.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Wagener earn?
Half of Wagener's 480 households earn less than $48,621 a year (±$5,166), against $70,609 in Aiken County and $69,324 in South Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $48,267 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Wagener | Aiken County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,621 ±$5,166 | $70,609 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $52,557 ±$9,581 | $93,371 | – |
| Per capita income | $21,938 ±$5,056 | $38,470 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 14.1% ±8.8 pts | 14.3% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 33.0% ±26.2 pts | 19.8% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 29.8% ±16.1 pts | 10.8% | – |
| Households with a computer | 92.1% ±7.7 pts | 94.7% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 81.0% ±13.2 pts | 91.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Wagener?
Owners occupy 67.7% of Wagener's occupied homes and renters 32.3%. The median renter pays $638 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Wagener | Aiken County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $156,300 ±$141,445 | $218,000 | – |
| Median gross rent | $638 ±$278 | $1,062 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 36.3% ±25.0 pts | 38.6% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,528 ±$717 | $1,384 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 67.7% ±17.2 pts | 76.5% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 32.3% ±17.2 pts | 23.5% | – |
| Housing units | 537 ±177 | 80,008 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±12.9 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 6.6% ±11.8 pts | 6.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 64.8% ±15.5 pts | 67.7% | – |
| Mobile homes | 24.0% ±12.1 pts | 18.3% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±8.0 pts | 3.2% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 2.0% ±2.7 pts | 14.2% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 12.3% ±8.9 pts | 4.0% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 15.4% ±10.1 pts | 5.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Wagener work and get to work?
59.9% of Wagener's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 27.6 minutes.
| Measure | Wagener | Aiken County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 62.6% ±11.1 pts | 58.5% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 8.0% ±8.0 pts | 6.1% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 59.9% ±20.0 pts | 79.5% | – |
| Carpooled | 23.2% ±21.0 pts | 7.8% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±8.0 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Walked | 3.9% ±4.3 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Worked from home | 7.6% ±7.8 pts | 10.6% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.6 min ±8.7 | 25.0 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Wagener?
No census tract lies mostly in Wagener; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 217Aiken County | 4,962 | $49,120 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Wagener) · Census block assignment files
How does Wagener compare with other places in South Carolina?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Wagener is the 11,882nd-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 177th-most populous of 271 in South Carolina.
Wagener is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 177th | 271 |
Wagener's figures with every place in South Carolina (CSV)
Every place in South Carolina, sortable · Compare Wagener with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Wagener?
24 of the 57 figures for Wagener on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Wagener are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Wagener.