Is Golden Grove a good place to live?
Golden Grove’s grades pull in different directions. The town ranks 39th of 167 in South Carolina, with a B overall. That leaves it better than three fifths of U.S. towns. Where it does best is incomes: the median household earns $73K. It also does well on schools: its schools rank ahead of 85% of South Carolina towns. Homes run about $178K for a typical one, 2.5 times the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. What holds it back is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow.
How Golden Grove grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Golden Grove is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Golden Grove has grown 22% from 2010 to 2020
2,467 counted in 2010 and 3,002 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Golden Grove.
Golden Grove has homes that are cheap against local pay, sends most of its workers to Greenville and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
Health in Golden Grove trails 81% of U.S. towns
30% of adults get no exercise outside work in Golden Grove, above both South Carolina’s towns (28%) and U.S. towns (25%). Golden Grove: 23% of adults worry about having enough food. Two figures for adults in the town: 19% report frequent mental distress, 16% report frequent physical distress.
| Golden Grove | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Golden Grove | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.4% | 17.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.6% | 8.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.1% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Golden Grove
Golden Grove has 208 jobs for its 1,324 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles. No town among the 169 in South Carolina we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Golden Grove. 3.1% of residents live below the poverty line in the town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 35, to 208.
| Golden Grove | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Golden Grove’s year
The W Pelzer weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 219 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 79% of South Carolina places with climate records. The W Pelzer weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 51 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 80% of South Carolina places with climate records.
The July high for Golden Grove comes to 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer children than South Carolina overall
The share of residents in Golden Grove who are under 18: 15%. Children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). Just over a third of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both the South Carolina town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). The midpoint age in the town is 43.6 years.
| Golden Grove | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.6 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 42% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Golden Grove’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.3 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Golden Grove | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.3% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 31.1% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.4% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.1% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Golden Grove: inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 63% of Golden Grove’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 12% to tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in Golden Grove sells for about $290K at the median
At 2.5 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 82% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. 89.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across South Carolina.
For Golden Grove, the median rent is $1,325 a month. In Golden Grove, just over three quarters of households own their home.
| Golden Grove | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,325 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Golden Grove
Memorial Stadium, Clemson and 23 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Golden Grove. Close and well known come first.
24 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
29 mi LakeLake Hartwell
10 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
27 mi LakeLake Keowee
32 mi LakeLake Jocassee
27 mi State parkTable Rock State ParkPhoto credits
Memorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Hartwell: blahedo, CC BY-SA 2.5 · 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 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain · Table Rock State Park: Clemson3564, CC BY 3.0
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Moving to Golden Grove: who provides what
Golden Grove 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.
100% of working residents leave Golden Grove for work
Where Golden Grove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Golden Grove
About 3 of every 100 Golden Grove residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
About Golden Grove
Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States
Golden Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 876 ft
Golden Grove’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Golden Grove.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Grove | #39 | B | B+ | — | A | C− |
| Piedmont | #55 | B− | A | — | A | C− |
Golden Grove and Piedmont report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Golden Grove with a neighbor →
Questions about Golden Grove
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Golden Grove, SC a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Golden Grove grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #39 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Golden Grove, SC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $178,000, 42% below the South Carolina typical home.
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