ElginSC
A town of 2,360, settled in 1895.
Is Elgin a good place to live?
The best of Elgin’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for incomes; the weakest is a D for walkability. On the outdoors, just 8 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do worse. Elgin has 1 place on the National Register. Elgin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
100% of working residents leave Elgin for work
Where Elgin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Elgin grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Elgin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Elgin: who provides what
Elgin is unincorporated, so Lancaster 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 Elgin.
Elgin stands out in South Carolina and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally
The top destinations are Lancaster (16%), Charlotte (9%) and Rock Hill (9%). Among 170 South Carolina towns, just 6 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Elgin. In Elgin, the typical journey to work is 22 minutes, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
| Elgin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Elgin is older than the South Carolina average
In Elgin, the age of the median resident is 54.1 years, above both South Carolina’s towns (38.9 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). People 65 and older are 31% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Elgin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.1 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.1 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Elgin | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.1% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 21.8% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.9% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.7% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.9% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
On CDC estimates, Elgin is less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
Elgin: 28% of adults get no exercise outside work. 14% of adults locally have diabetes; 19% worry about having enough food.
| Elgin | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Elgin | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.3% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Elgin
July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 31° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Elgin: inland flooding
Since 1989, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elgin. On expected storm and flood damage, Elgin sits above 57% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Elgin break down as 44% from inland flooding and 17% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Elgin
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elgin
About 3 of every 100 Elgin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Questions about Elgin
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elgin, SC expensive?
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 A+.