Cowpens Depot · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Cowpens run?
Cowpens’ town government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $644 per resident.
What stands out about how Cowpens is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Spartanburg School District 3
Cowpens’ K–12 school district, shared with Central Pacolet, Pacolet. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,560 per pupil, $8,042 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
South Carolina districts overall: 45% local, 43% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $644 per resident a year, or $1.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 46%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$644 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cowpens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($644 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 73 South Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $490, and the middle half spent $233–$923. Cowpens spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($84,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cowpens itself left out).
No trend yet
Cowpens reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,291 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cowpens’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Cowpens’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cowpens →
Who’s in charge in Cowpens
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cowpens’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofcowpens.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 1,233 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,465).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Cowpens’ votes are counted by county
South Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Cowpens alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Spartanburg County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.2%103,032 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.6%50,710 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,855 votes).
Most votes in Spartanburg County: Donald J Trump
South Carolina: Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.4%
100% of Cowpens lies in Spartanburg County. Every 2024 race in Spartanburg County is on the county’s page.
Spartanburg County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Cowpens.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofcowpens.com ↗
- 2South Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3South Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Cowpens’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cowpens’ government
How much does Cowpens spend per resident?
About $644 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $644 was more than 59% of 73 South Carolina cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cowpens?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,291 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofcowpens.com.
Who runs Cowpens’ government?
See townofcowpens.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cowpens yet.
How did Cowpens vote in 2024?
South Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Cowpens alone. Spartanburg County, where 100% of Cowpens lies, voted Trump 66.2%, Harris 32.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cowpens?
2 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $19,402 (about $232,824 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cowpens in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Harvey Peeler) and State House District 29 (Dennis Moss). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cowpens’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →