City profile · South Carolina · Census ACS 2023

Watts Mills, SC

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

2,250
Residents
$47,192
Median income
$1,133
Median rent (state)

Watts Mills - the verdict

Watts Mills ranks in the 15th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

15th
percentile, household income
31st
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: Watts Mills, SC

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,250 residents in Watts Mills, a small town within South Carolina. Watts Mills households earn a median of $47,192 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 6.2%. The median resident age is 29.5 years. 2.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.8% 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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,133 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $224 across South Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 76.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).

Population

2,250 residents

Census ACS 2023 - South Carolina

Median Household Income

$47,192 /yr

Poverty 6.2%

Cost of Living Index (state)

93.7 (US=100)

Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average

How does Watts Mills compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 15% higher than other cities
Median rent 31% 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 Watts Mills'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.

15thIncome percentile

15th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Watts Mills, SC Watts Mills, SC's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Watts Mills, 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 Watts Mills, SC median $47,192/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%
Watts Mills, 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 Watts Mills, SC. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 2.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 6.2%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 52.8%

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

Population
2,250
Median Income
$47,192
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
29.5
Poverty Rate
6.2%
Labor force participation
52.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
2.6%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
58.3%
Carpool
40.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
0.0%

Based on 847 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 Watts Mills sits in

Cost of Living Index
93.7
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,133/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
76.2 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in South Carolina

Westminster
2,244 people
Edisto
2,261 people
Kershaw
2,220 people
Riverview
2,215 people
Estill
2,287 people
Ware Shoals
2,207 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Watts Mills's 2,250 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Dry Ridge, KY
2,250 people
Alpha, NJ
2,249 people
Louisa, VA
2,249 people
Manatee Road, FL
2,252 people
Carbon Cliff, IL
2,248 people
Hull, IA
2,248 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Watts Mills's $47,192 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Belle Glade, FL
$47,191 median income
Crowley, CO
$47,188 median income
Decker, IN
$47,188 median income
Holy Cross, IA
$47,188 median income
Pawnee Rock, KS
$47,188 median income
Jasper, MN
$47,188 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Watts Mills, 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 Watts Mills, SC - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 51.2% 11.7% 24.0% 7.1% 6.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 34.9% White 51.2% Black or African American 11.7% Asian 0.0% American Indian 24.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 7.1% Two or more races 6.0% 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 Watts Mills 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
Watts Mills (this city) 2,250 $47,192
Westminster 2,244 $38,393
Edisto 2,261 $46,644
Kershaw 2,220 $58,077
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SC OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Watts Mills, SC?

What is the population of Watts Mills, SC? +

Watts Mills, SC counts 2,250 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Watts Mills, SC? +

Median annual household income in Watts Mills runs $47,192, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Watts Mills? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Watts Mills; 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 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.