Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,656.
Five Forks's standout: the median household earns $142K. Overall it grades A, ranked 12th of 167 in South Carolina. Residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its public schools beat 85% of South Carolina towns on state tests and graduation. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Five Forks, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 29%. On cost of living, just 24 of South Carolina’s 261 towns do worse. William Bates House and James M. Davis House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Five Forks beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Five Forks | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 13.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Monarch Elementary | PK–5 | 870 |
| The Goddard School | PK–1 | 186 |
| Primrose School of Simpsonville at Five Forks | PK–K | 157 |
14,140 counted in 2010 and 17,737 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Five Forks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,064 in 2000, 17,737 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1938 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Five Forks. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
10 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
38 mi LakeLake Keowee
36 mi LandmarkPeachoid
34 mi Park & preserveDuPont State Forest
32 mi State parkTable Rock State ParkMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Keowee: Inundated_38Oc1.jpg: Matthew T. Bradley from Berkshire County, Mass., USA deriva, CC BY 2.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · DuPont State Forest: Ccalvin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Table Rock State Park: Clemson3564, CC BY 3.0
Five Forks is unincorporated, so Greenville 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Five Forks.
Five Forks has less tooth loss than most of South Carolina and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of South Carolina.
Its widest gap with South Carolina is tooth loss: 5.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.9% statewide.
7.9% of Five Forks adults smoke cigarettes. Only 7 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Five Forks. 31% of Five Forks adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Five Forks | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Five Forks | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Greenville 01 school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monarch ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 870 | A |
| Southside Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 1,342 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 1,460 in 2013 to 3,132.
2.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Five Forks. Jobs based in Five Forks grew to 3,132 in 2023, 1,672 more than in 2013. 19% of workers work from home in Five Forks.
| Five Forks | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $142,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 19% | 8.6% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Greer weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 48 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 86% of South Carolina places with climate records. 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 32.6°.
Five Forks has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Five Forks’ January low is 33°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Five Forks | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Five Forks.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 6.3 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 95% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,198, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Five Forks is $2,178 a month.
| Five Forks | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,178 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Five Forks
About 4 of every 100 Five Forks residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Five Forks’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States
Five Forks is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 17,737 at the 2020 census, up from 14,140 in 2010, and 8,064 in 2000. It is a growing, affluent suburb of Greenville and is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Five Forks grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #12 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades A+ for health and A for schools.
The typical home is worth about $452,000, 49% above 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 C.
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