Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Drayton

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Drayton
South Carolina›Spartanburg County
CompareFollow

DraytonSC

A town of 1,452, settled in 1904.

2 bordering townsMap →
Drayton Mill · Photo: PegasusRacer28 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Drayton

Drayton, SC · Drayton Mill · Photo: PegasusRacer28 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Population
1,452
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$131K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
30.3
years
Jobs based here
2,491
A job hub

Is Drayton a good place to live?

Drayton’s best subject grades are a B for cost of living and history; its weakest is a D for walkability. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Drayton, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 6 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better. Drayton Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. Drayton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestAHazard riskWeakestDWalkabilityC−Health

What makes Drayton stand out

Where Drayton beats most towns.

Jobs vs. working residents

Jobs here2,491
Residents who work462
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 99% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
9Very low riskLowerHigher
Natural hazardsA
Lower risk than 91% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town

1,452 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Spartanburg · 3 miCowpens · 6 miPacolet · 9 miCentral Pacolet · 10 miInman · 12 miWellford · 12 mi
SpartanburgWhitneySpartanburgWhitneyDrayton

How Drayton grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Drayton is from typical.

How grading works

Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.1 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthSpartanburg Medical Center 2 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $131K, 2 years of the Spartanburg metro’s $64K median household incomeBOpen →Jobs & income$78K median household incomeC+Open →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 30.3; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Drayton Mill
Drayton Mill · National Register of Historic Places
Drayton’s story

122 years in pictures

The archive holds 3 maps from 1949 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1904Drayton is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Drayton: who provides what

Drayton is unincorporated, so Spartanburg County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerDuke Energy13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSpartanburg Water System (Sc4210001)No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSpartanburg CountySpartanburg County provides services here
SchoolsSpartanburg School District 7Which school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereSpartanburg Board of Voter RegistrationSpartanburg County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2024
ZIP codes29307, 2933329307 54% · 29333 46%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Drayton.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+

With 5.4 jobs for every working resident, Drayton draws in 2,481 commuters

Most working residents leave Drayton for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Drayton fell to 2,491 in 2023, 464 fewer than in 2013. Drayton’s average trip to work is 27 minutes, against 24 minutes in South Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.

2%work in town
DraytonSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town2.2%6.1%8%
Average trip to work27 minutes24 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Drayton2%
Spartanburg21%
Greenville6%
Greer3%
Hilltop3%
8 mi
median commute distance
2,491
jobs based in Drayton
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns
Full pageDrayton’s work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here2,491 jobs based here · A job hubWhere people work2% work in DraytonCommute times27 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 8 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

SchoolsB

Public schools in Drayton beat 55% of South Carolina districts

Its public schools are run by the Spartanburg 07 school district. Its two schools are below.

55%of SC districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Drayton Mills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5810C−
Spartanburg Day School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12Grades PK–12547–
Full pageDrayton’s schools pageOpen the page
The districtsSpartanburg 07Vs. the neighborsBehind its 2 graded neighborsEvery school2 schools · Drayton Mills ElementaryQuestions“Are Drayton’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

The FEMA risk score in Drayton is lower than in most of South Carolina or the rest of the country

Drayton’s FEMA risk score is 9 of 100.

9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
9Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakesCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
Full pageDrayton’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery low riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in DraytonGet ready1.8 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HealthC−

On CDC estimates, Drayton is less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns

Drayton beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Drayton.

24%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
DraytonSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)44%40%35%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)16%13%8.1%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)32%28%25%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)16%15%12%
32 measures vs. South Carolina
1 better19 too close to call12 worse
What stands outDraytonSC
More adults treating high blood pressure82.4%80.2%
More uninsured adults15.8%11.8%
Spartanburg Medical Center
2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
Full pageDrayton’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exerciseHospitals & doctors nearby2 miles to an ER · Spartanburg Medical CenterHow adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor healthEvery CDC estimateBetter than SC on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Drayton has mild winters and hot summers

Drayton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Drayton is 90°F.

90°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter33–54°
Spring48–72°
Summer67–88°
Fall50–72°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 8
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high
Full pageDrayton’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 90°, January lows 31°Rain & snow49″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard ofHeating & coolingBoth heating and coolingThen and now+1.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

$170Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May
Full pageDrayton’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page
Prices over the yearsPrices over the yearsYears of income to buyA typical home costs 2.2 years of incomeRents$1,438 a month · Median rentVs. the neighborsAhead of all 2 graded neighbors

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Peachoid and 16 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Drayton. Close and well known come first.

All 42 attractions →
15 mi LandmarkPeachoid11 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a year29 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena37 mi State parkChimney Rock State Park29 mi National Military ParkKings Mountain National Military Park176K visitors a year37 mi National Historic SiteCarl Sandburg Home National Historic Site95K visitors a year
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0 · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain · Kings Mountain National Military Park: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Drayton

16pages on Drayton
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 55% of SC districts · 2 schoolsHealthC−Better than SC on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingBWork & commuteC+$78K median household income · 2,491 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 9% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
PlacesAttractions42 nearby · Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve 4 miLibrarySpartanburg County Public Library SystemCollegesConverse University is 1.7 mi away
The story
HistoryBSettled 1904 · 1 on the National RegisterClimate90° summer highs · 1″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 29333Town SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

6 within 15 miles of the center of Drayton

Converse UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Spartanburg1.7 mi$25,240 tuitionUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateUniversity or college · Public · Spartanburg4.1 mi$11,588 in-state tuitionSpartanburg Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Spartanburg5 mi$5,071 in-state tuition

About 10 of every 100 Drayton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A job hub

Every workday, about 2,481 people come to Drayton for work

Where Drayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

21% → Spartanburg Spartanburg 21% 6% → Greenville Greenville 6% 3% → Greer Greer 3% 3% → Hilltop Hilltop 3% 3% → Southern Shops Southern Shops 3% 2% → Valley Falls Valley Falls 2% Drayton · 2% stay
2,491jobs based in Drayton
2%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Drayton

Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States

Drayton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 1,115.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Elevation
728 ft
ZIP code
29333

Questions about Drayton

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Drayton, SC expensive?

The typical home is worth about $131,000, 57% below the South Carolina typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.