Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Central gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $292K for a typical one, or 4.1 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. It grades A− overall, ranked 19th of 167 in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $60K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 76% of South Carolina towns. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Central, against 17% in South Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of South Carolina’s 262 towns score higher on walkability. Central is home to Southern Wesleyan University.
Where Central beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Central Academy of the Arts | PK–5 | 499 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Central is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 184 in 1880, 5,247 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Central, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Central.
Central fares better on crime within South Carolina than nationally, pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and is shaped by its college students.
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $292K.
Its public schools are run by the Pickens 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Academy of the ArtsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 499 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Central for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Central has added 96 jobs, to 1,030 in 2023. The top destinations are Clemson (17%), Greenville (9%) and Anderson (5%).
| Central | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.9% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Clemson Univ weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 217 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 84% of South Carolina places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.4°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 88% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 32.5°.
Central has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Central’s January low is 33°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Central | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,994 U.S. towns with household incomes like Central’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
26% of Central adults have high blood pressure. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Central. 27% of Central adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Central | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 40% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Central | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.1% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 16% | 28.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.2% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 17 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 90% of South Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 112 to 58 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Central is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Central | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
26% of households own their home in Central. The typical Central home is worth about $292,000, up 0.9% in a year, close to the South Carolina typical home.
| Central | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 26% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $876 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 14 of its 3,447 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Central itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Baseball Fields & Playgrounds | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Central. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
39 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
7 mi LakeLake Keowee
19 mi LakeLake Hartwell
36 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
18 mi LakeLake JocasseeMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lake Keowee: Inundated_38Oc1.jpg: Matthew T. Bradley from Berkshire County, Mass., USA deriva, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Hartwell: blahedo, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Currahee Mountain: Wikilackey (talk), Public domain · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Central
College town 30 of every 100 Central residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Central’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Central on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Central.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Central is a town in Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Central had a population of 5,247. It received its name from being halfway or the central point between Atlanta and Charlotte along the former Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway line. Southern Wesleyan University's main campus is east of downtown Central.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Central.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Central grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #19 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B for health, B− for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
3 notable people were born here, including Darline Graham and DeShawn Williams.
