East GaffneySC
A town of 2,824.
Is East Gaffney a good place to live?
East Gaffney gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $78K for a typical one, or 1.5 years of the Gaffney area’s $50K median household income. It grades C− overall, 123rd among South Carolina's 167 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in East Gaffney, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On the outdoors, just 11 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns.
96% of working residents leave East Gaffney for work
Where East Gaffney’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How East Gaffney grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far East Gaffney is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to East Gaffney: who provides what
East Gaffney is unincorporated, so Cherokee County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 East Gaffney.
East Gaffney is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
More of East Gaffney’s adults say their health is fair or poor than in the typical South Carolina or U.S. town
Against the 218 U.S. towns with household incomes like East Gaffney’s, it is less healthy than 75%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
35% of East Gaffney adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than East Gaffney. 22% of East Gaffney adults report frequent mental distress.
| East Gaffney | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | East Gaffney | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 36.3% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median household income in East Gaffney is lower than in most of South Carolina or the rest of the country
Jobs based here fell from 1,265 in 2013 to 706.
The median household income in East Gaffney is $25,000. Jobs based in East Gaffney fell to 706 in 2023, 559 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave East Gaffney for work: only 4% work in town.
| East Gaffney | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $25,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
East Gaffney has mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons average 89.9°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 79% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 29.6°.
East Gaffney has mild winters and warm summers. Of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare, none has a lower January low than East Gaffney. East Gaffney’s July high is 90°F.
| East Gaffney | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 30°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
East Gaffney faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in East Gaffney sells for about $129K at the median
At 1.5 years of the Gaffney area’s $50K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 98% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $457, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
78% of households own their home in East Gaffney.
| East Gaffney | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $690 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Carowinds and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Gaffney. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Theme parkCarowinds
4 mi LandmarkPeachoid
10 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a year
12 mi National Military ParkKings Mountain National Military Park176K visitors a year30 mi Zoo & aquariumHollyWild Animal Park
33 mi GardenDaniel Stowe Botanical GardenPhoto credits
Carowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kings Mountain National Military Park: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: Robert Nunnally, CC BY 2.0
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Everything we know about East Gaffney
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of East Gaffney
About 8 of every 100 East Gaffney residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
About East Gaffney
Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States
East Gaffney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,085 at the 2010 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 771 ft
East Gaffney’s neighbors
One town shares a border with East Gaffney.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Gaffney | #123 | C− | A+ | — | C | D− |
| Gaffney | #150 | D− | B− | D | C | D |
East Gaffney reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare East Gaffney with a neighbor →
Questions about East Gaffney
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is East Gaffney, SC a good place to live?
East Gaffney grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #123 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is East Gaffney, SC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $78,000, 74% 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 A+.