Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,659, settled in 1874. Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
Trash & recyclingClover gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $410K for a typical one, or 4.9 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades A overall, 6th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 98% of South Carolina towns. Clover’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the South Carolina town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 9 of South Carolina’s 263 towns score higher on hazard risk. Clover has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bethel Presbyterian Church and Clover Downtown Historic District.
Where Clover beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Larne Elementary | PK–5 | 574 |
| Kinard Elementary | PK–5 | 463 |
5,094 counted in 2010 and 6,671 in 2020; an estimated 7,659 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14% since 2020, after 31% 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 Clover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 73 in 1880, 6,671 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clover, 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 Clover.
Clover fares better on crime within South Carolina than nationally, pairs an A+ for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work.
Its A+ for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $410K. Its A+ ranks #4 of the 169 South Carolina towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the York 02 school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larne ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 574 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.4 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. New Centre Park, at 77 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New Centre Park | 1.5 mi | 77 |
| 2. Clover Community Park | 0.1 mi | 21 |
| 3. Roosevelt Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $410K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
The median rent in Clover is $841 a month. The typical Clover home is worth about $410,000, about the same as a year ago, 35% above the South Carolina typical home. 80% of Clover households own their home.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $841 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Gastonia among the top destinations. The average commute for its 3,323 working residents takes 34.9 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
Most working residents leave Clover for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Clover grew to 2,286 in 2023, 425 more than in 2013. 8.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Clover.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 8.3% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 8.6% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.5% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 32% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 9% of residents (19% statewide). Clover has grown 14% since 2020, to 7,659 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 6 have a higher share of children under 18 than Clover.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 32% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 9.2% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.6 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 23% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Clover | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 18.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.2% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 24.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.5% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.9% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.6% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Gastonia weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 49 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 80% of South Carolina places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.7°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 83% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 30.5°.
Clover has mild winters and warm summers. Only 2 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower January low than Clover. Clover’s July high is 90°F.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 31°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 92% of South Carolina’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 10 reported in 2025, 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
Only 4 of the 90 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Clover.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Clover beats the South Carolina average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Clover | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 80% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Clover | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Fewer adults screened for colon cancer | 63.8% | 69.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clover. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Theme parkCarowinds
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
30 mi LakeLake Norman18 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
25 mi Stadium & arenaBojangles Coliseum
26 mi LandmarkPeachoidCarowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bank of America Stadium: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bojangles Coliseum: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Clover
About 4 of every 100 Clover residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Clover’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in South Carolina, United States
Clover is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is located in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. As of 2020, the population was at 6,671 within the town limits. Clover is twinned with the Northern Irish town of Larne on County Antrim's East Coast.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clover grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #6 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B− for health, B for safety and A+ for schools.
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 B+.
