Shelbystreet, 2006
Blacksburg’s story
138 years in pictures
Census counts: 145 in 1880, 1,889 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1909 on.
- 1888Blacksburg is settled
BlacksburgSC
A town of 1,965, settled in 1888.
Photo: Crazyleaper at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
1,965
2025 Census estimate · +4.2% since 2020
Typical home
$159K
−6.4% in a year
Household income
$32K
median
Median age
33.8
years
Jobs based here
420
A commuter town
Is Blacksburg a good place to live?
Blacksburg’s weakest subject grade is a D for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Blacksburg, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower January low than Blacksburg. Blacksburg's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Blacksburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Blacksburg for work
Where Blacksburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
420jobs based in Blacksburg
3%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Blacksburg grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Blacksburg is from typical.
Jobs & incomeDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 7% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthCherokee Medical Center 6.9 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →SafetyCOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 43% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2% conserved landCOpen →History3 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.8; 13% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Blacksburg: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blacksburg, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBlacksburg Town of (Sc1110002) water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Blacksburg’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCherokee Board of Voter RegistrationCherokee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code2970229702 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Blacksburg.
HousingCost of living grade C+
The typical home in Blacksburg is valued at about $159K
The typical Blacksburg home is worth about $159,000, down 6.4% in a year, 48% below the South Carolina typical home. 42% of Blacksburg households own their home, against 65% in South Carolina’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The median rent in Blacksburg is $834 a month.
$159KZillow home value
| Blacksburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $834 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Blacksburg$159K
South Carolina$304K
−6.4%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC
Blacksburg’s schools rank behind 73% of South Carolina districts
Its public schools are run by the Cherokee 01 school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Blacksburg High, with 482 students.
27%of SC districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 363 | C |
| Blacksburg HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 482 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Health in Blacksburg trails 85% of U.S. towns
Blacksburg beats the South Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 20% of Blacksburg adults report frequent mental distress.
15%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Blacksburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
32 measures vs. South Carolina
0 better18 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Blacksburg | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.5% | 13.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.8% | 17.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11% | 8.6% |
Cherokee Medical Center
6.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Blacksburg’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Blacksburg for work: only 3% work in town. Blacksburg’s median household income is $32,000. Jobs based in Blacksburg fell to 420 in 2023, 23 fewer than in 2013.
3%work in town
| Blacksburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 6.1% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Blacksburg3%
Gaffney10%
Charlotte7%
Spartanburg3%
Shelby3%
26 mi
median commute distance
420
jobs based in Blacksburg
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
29%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Blacksburg3
South Carolina3.9
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Blacksburg12.2
South Carolina17.2
U.S.15.5
29th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
6
violent crimes reported in 2025
24
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Blacksburg has mild winters and hot summers
Blacksburg has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 30° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–54°
Spring47–72°
Summer66–88°
Fall49–73°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Blacksburg
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities.
43risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.7%conserved
1.7%
conserved · 21 of 1,176 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gibbs Memorial Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 40 attractions →Bank of America Stadium and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blacksburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
33 mi Theme parkCarowinds
10 mi LandmarkPeachoid34 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
6 mi National Military ParkKings Mountain National Military Park176K visitors a year
16 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Bank of America Stadium: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kings Mountain National Military Park: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blacksburg
20pages on Blacksburg
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 73% of SC districts · 3 schoolsSafetyC3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than SC on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$159K typical home · down 6.4% in a yearWork & commuteD$32K median household income · 420 jobs hereNatural hazardsB−FEMA risk higher than 43% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Blacksburg
Limestone UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Gaffney8.7 miCleveland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Shelby, NC11 mi$2,602 in-state tuitionGardner-Webb UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Boiling Springs, NC12.1 mi$34,760 tuition
About 2 of every 100 Blacksburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Famous people from Blacksburg
3 notable people were born in Blacksburg.
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About Blacksburg
Town in South Carolina, United States
Blacksburg is a small town in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Blacksburg had a population of 1,889. The communities of Antioch, Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mount Paran are located near the town. Blacksburg is in Upstate South Carolina on the Interstate 85 corridor about 45 mi (72 km) southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which has a population of 1,478,648 according to 2018 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1888
- Area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 774 ft
- ZIP code
- 29702
- Area code
- 864
Questions about Blacksburg
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blacksburg, SC expensive?
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($50,288 across the Gaffney, SC area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Blacksburg, SC known for?
3 notable people were born here, including James Rhyne Killian and Virgil Childers.