Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,941.
Clemson is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, ranked 28th of 167 in South Carolina, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 76% of South Carolina towns. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 69% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: it reports more crime per resident than 60% of U.S. towns, including 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $411K, 5.8 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Clemson, against 17% in South Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 3 of South Carolina’s 262 towns do better. Clemson is home to Clemson University.
Where Clemson beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Clemson Elementary | PK–5 | 794 |
13,905 counted in 2010 and 17,681 in 2020; an estimated 18,941 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.1% since 2020, after 27.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Clemson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 761 in 1940, 17,681 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1716 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Clemson, 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 Clemson.
Clemson is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Central and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Pickens 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 794 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
11,117 jobs are based in Clemson, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.9 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
About one in 4 of Clemson’s working residents works in town. Clemson’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Clemson has added 1,869 jobs, to 11,117 in 2023.
| Clemson | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 8.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $1,912, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
34% of households own their home in Clemson. The typical Clemson home is worth about $411,000, up 1.9% in a year, 35% above the South Carolina typical home.
| Clemson | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 34% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,007 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Mountain View Park, at 33 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Larry W. Abernathy Waterfront Park | 1 mi | 11 |
| 2. Mountain View Park | — | 33 |
| 3. Twelve Mile Recreation Area | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 5,611 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clemson’s, it is healthier than 97%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
28% of Clemson adults have high blood pressure. Only 5 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Clemson. 27% of Clemson adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Clemson | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 40% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 23% |
| What stands out | Clemson | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.7% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.6% | 28.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.9% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Clemson Univ weather station 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 89.8°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 82% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 32.7°.
Clemson has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Clemson is 33°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Clemson | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 371 to 282 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Clemson reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 60% report less. Only 9 of the 90 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Clemson. Within South Carolina, it does better than 79% of towns.
| Clemson | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clemson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clemson. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
9 mi LakeLake Keowee
15 mi LakeLake Hartwell
34 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
20 mi LakeLake Jocassee
27 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness ArenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Clemson
College town 39 of every 100 Clemson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
2 places in Clemson on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Clemson.
City in South Carolina, United States
Clemson ([note a]) is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is adjacent to Clemson University, and is identified with it. In 2015, the Princeton Review cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for "town-and-gown" relations with its resident university. The population of the city was 17,681 at the 2020 census. Clemson is part of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Clemson.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | #28 | B+ | C+ | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Clemson University | — | — | — | — | A− | A |
| Central | #19 | A− | A− | B− | A− | B |
| Pendleton | #34 | B | B+ | C | A+ | B |
Clemson University reports no FBI crime data of its own. Clemson University isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clemson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clemson grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #28 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 79% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
Clemson has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Charles McGee and Jarvis Jenkins.
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