Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 27,319, chartered in 1873. Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
Trash & recyclingEasley gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $321K for a typical one, or 4.5 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 59th of 167 in South Carolina. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 76% of South Carolina towns. Easley has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sheriff Mill Complex and Easley High School Auditorium. Easley's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 8 have a lower July high than Easley.
Where Easley beats most towns.
19,993 counted in 2010 and 22,921 in 2020; an estimated 27,319 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 19% since 2020, after 14.6% 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 Easley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 327 in 1880, 22,921 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Easley. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
37 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
17 mi LakeLake Keowee
29 mi LakeLake Hartwell
21 mi LakeLake Jocassee
39 mi National forestPisgah National ForestMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · 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 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Easley, 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 Easley.
Easley pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
8.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. At 0.7 miles per square mile, Easley’s trail density is above both the South Carolina town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is J.B. “Red” Owens Recreation Complex, at 99 acres.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nalley Brown Nature Park | 2.2 mi | 35 |
| 2. J.B. “Red” Owens Recreation Complex | — | 99 |
| 3. Pope Field Recreation Center | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $321K.
Its public schools are run by the Pickens 01 school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard H. Gettys MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,217 | C+ |
| Easley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,862 | A |
| Forest Acres ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 677 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 601 to 434 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 1.9 per 1,000 residents, Easley’s violent crime rate is against 4.3 in South Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Easley’s property crime rate is 13.6 per 1,000 residents. Within South Carolina, it does better than 70% of towns.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.6 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Pickens weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 216 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 86% of South Carolina places with climate records. The Pickens weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 49 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 83% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Easley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Easley is 32°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Easley for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Easley fell to 8,614 in 2023, 702 fewer than in 2013. 14% of Easley residents live below the poverty line.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Easley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,126 U.S. towns with household incomes like Easley’s, it is healthier than 59%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Easley beats the South Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of adults have diabetes in Easley.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Easley | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Easley home is worth about $321,000, up 2% in a year, 5% above the South Carolina typical home.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $947 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 65% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Carolina average. Easley has grown 19% since 2020, to 27,319 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Easley | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Easley | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.9% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.2% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.9% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Easley
About 4 of every 100 Easley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
3 places in Easley on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Easley.
City in South Carolina, United States
Easley is a city in Pickens County (with parts extending into Anderson County) in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, Easley had a population of 22,921. In 2001, Easley hosted the Big League World Series for the first time, and continued to host the tournament annually until it was disbanded in 2016. In 2017, the Senior League World Series moved to Easley as the host for the annual tournament. The Upper South Carolina State Fair was located in Easley and was held annually in early September. The Upper South Carolina State Fair is no longer held in Easley, as the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, which hosted the fair, is being developed into an industrial park as of 2023.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Easley.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easley | #59 | B− | B | C | A− | C+ |
| Arial | — | — | A | — | A− | C− |
| Powdersville | #9 | A | B− | — | A+ | A− |
Arial has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Arial and Powdersville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Easley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Easley grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #59 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C+ for health, C for safety and A− for schools.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 70% 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 B.
Easley was chartered in 1873 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 11 notable people were born here, including Shannon Forrest and Kyle Fisher.
