Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clinton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $173K, 2.4 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. It grades C− overall, 127th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 62 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and the median household income is $45K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. Clinton’s violent crime rate is 7.8 per 1,000 residents, against 3.9 in South Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Only 20 of South Carolina’s 263 towns score higher on hazard risk. Clinton is home to Presbyterian College.
Where Clinton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Clinton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 197 in 1860, 7,633 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clinton, 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 Clinton.
Clinton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the South Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 7.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 78 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 81% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Clinton’s property crime rate is 35 per 1,000 residents. Clinton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Laurens 56 school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Clinton High, with 811 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 580 | C+ |
| Clinton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 811 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $173K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 32 miles. At 2.4 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $173K) costs less against local pay than in 84% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
52% of Clinton households own their home. The typical Clinton home is worth about $173,000, down 3.2% in a year, 43% below the South Carolina typical home. The median rent in Clinton is $899 a month.
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $899 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 3,831 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clinton’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Clinton beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 25% of adults worry about having enough food in Clinton.
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 21% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Clinton | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.6% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Laurens weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 219 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 79% of South Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 32.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 76% of South Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 91.2°.
Clinton has mild winters and warm summers. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 34°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
27.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14.1% across South Carolina, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. Only 51.5% of households own their home, against 71.9% across South Carolina.
Clinton has grown 3.8% since 2020, to 7,918 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.6 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
58% women, 42% men
About 74 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.9 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Clinton | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.7% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.1% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 11% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Jobs based here fell from 3,608 in 2013 to 2,435. The average commute for its 3,095 working residents takes 18.5 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
Most working residents leave Clinton for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Clinton fell to 2,435 in 2023, 1,173 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Greenville (6%), Laurens (5%) and Columbia (4%).
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2.1 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Clinton Recreation Complex, at 47 acres.
| Clinton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clinton Recreation Complex | — | 47 |
| 2. Martha Dendy City Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Lydia Mill Children's Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Clinton
College town 15 of every 100 Clinton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
8,490 counted in 2010 and 7,633 in 2020; an estimated 7,918 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 3.8% since 2020, after a 10.1% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Clinton on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Clinton.
City in South Carolina, United States
Clinton is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,633 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area in upstate South Carolina. Clinton is the home of Presbyterian College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clinton grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #127 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
9 notable people were born here, including Cheron K. Griffin and Chick Galloway.
