Population
1,170 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Carolina
City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Wagener, SC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Wagener - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,170
- Residents
- $45,753
- Median income
- $1,276
- Median rent (state)
Wagener - the verdict
Wagener ranks in the 14th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 14th
- percentile, household income
- 44th
- 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: Wagener, SC
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 1,170 residents in Wagener, a small town within South Carolina. Wagener households earn a median of $45,753 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 15.0%. The median resident age is 50.4 years. 19.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 49.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA puts Wagener's yearly average temperature at 62.9°F.
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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,276 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts South Carolina's average monthly utility costs around $224 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 90.9 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
Median Household Income
$45,753 /yr
Poverty 15.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
How does Wagener compare to other US cities?
Where Wagener sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 14% higher than other cities
Median rent 44% 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 Wagener'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.
14th 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+) 19.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 15.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 49.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,170
Median Income
$45,753
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
50.4
Poverty Rate
15.0%
Labor force participation
49.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
19.1%
Climate
Avg Temperature
62.9°F
Annual Precipitation
N/A
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
58.4%
Carpool
23.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
7.6%
Work from Home
4.1%
Other
6.0%
Based on 486 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 Wagener sits in
Cost of Living Index
93.7
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,276/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
90.9 / 100
Very 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 Wagener's 1,170 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Wagener's $45,753 (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 Wagener 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wagener (this city) | 1,170 | $45,753 |
| Branchville | 1,169 | $40,144 |
| City View | 1,172 | $37,625 |
| Conestee | 1,175 | $60,450 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC NOAA Normals NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Wagener, SC?
What is the population of Wagener, SC? +
1,170 people live in Wagener, SC according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Wagener, SC? +
Wagener households earn a median of $45,753 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Wagener? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Wagener; 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.
What is the climate like in Wagener? +
Wagener has an average annual temperature of 62.9°F. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, 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 PlainCitiesEvery 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.