Unemployment in Clearwater (11.5%) is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Only 2% work in Clearwater; the top destination outside it is Augusta (24%, 14 miles). For jobs and income Clearwater is better than 18% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (C+). Household incomes here are lower than in 86% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Clearwater apart
A lot of Clearwater workers cross into Georgia
32% of Clearwater workers work outside South Carolina, most of them in Georgia, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Clearwater and Augusta trade workers both ways
Augusta is the top workplace for Clearwater residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Clearwater come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Clearwater
Job access by car holds Clearwater’s grade up (ahead of 71% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Clearwater could be anywhere from D to B.
Commuting out of Clearwater: the destinations
Where Clearwater clocks in
10% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The workday shuffle in and out of Clearwater
On a workday 1,363 residents head out to work, 29 work right here, and 475 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Clearwater on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.
0.36 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in Clearwater: what the 504 are
504 jobs are based in Clearwater.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Clearwater, 2013 → 2023: 406 → 504. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Clearwater’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Clearwater: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Clearwater workers work from home, vs 12% across South Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,472 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across South Carolina: 86% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Clearwater’s workers travel
About 24% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
For most of Clearwater, work means a drive
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.4% across South Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,623 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.1% of Clearwater households have no vehicle (South Carolina 5.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Clearwater’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 2,300 to 4,500, Clearwater ranks 3,760th of 4,593 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Isle of Palms SC | 4,377 | $157K | 2.5% | 1.3% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | India Hook SC | 3,960 | $107K | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 524 | Golden Grove SC | 2,913 | $73K | 3.1% | 1.6% | <1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,758 | Florida Township IN | 2,324 | $54K | 14.3% | 5.5% | 3% | C− |
| 3,759 | Auberry CA | 3,240 | $79K | 11.8% | 8.6% | 7% | C− |
| 3,760 | Clearwater SC | 3,319 | $52K | 17.3% | 11.5% | 2% | C− |
| 3,761 | Harbour Heights FL | 4,289 | $65K | 14.2% | 16.4% | 3% | C− |
| 3,762 | Winnsboro SC | 3,305 | $37K | 12.8% | 7.7% | 11% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,593 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Clearwater, the top three, the last and three more from South Carolina.
Clearwater and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to North Augusta (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Clearwater workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | – | C− | C+ | 26 min | $51,731 |
| Burnettown | under 1% | C− | D | 22 min | $50,347 |
| North Augusta | 9% | B+ | C+ | 23 min | $86,092 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Clearwater’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Clearwater: questions
What is the median household income in Clearwater?
$51,731 (±$19,495) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,324 across South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Clearwater?
17.3%, against 14.1% across South Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Clearwater?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across South Carolina and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Clearwater work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Augusta (24%, 14 mi), Aiken (10%, 11 mi), North Augusta (9%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Clearwater walkable?
Clearwater is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Clearwater without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Clearwater, from the people who make the trip.
More of Clearwater
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.