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Monarch Mill
South Carolina›Union County

Monarch MillSC

A town of 1,822.

1 bordering townMap →
Nathaniel Gist House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Monarch Mill

Monarch Mill, SC · Nathaniel Gist House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0

Is Monarch Mill a good place to live?

The best of Monarch Mill’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for health. Monarch Mill has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Monarch Mill stand out

Where Monarch Mill beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

A shrinking town

Monarch Mill has shrunk 13% from 2010 to 2020

1,811 counted in 2010 and 1,584 in 2020.

1,8112010
1,5842020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Monarch Mill grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Monarch Mill is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Monarch Mill: who provides what

Monarch Mill is unincorporated, so Union County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerDominion Energy South Carolina16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterUnion City of (Sc4410001) water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesUnion CountyUnion County provides services here
SchoolsUnion County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereUnion Board of Voter RegistrationUnion County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2024
ZIP code2937929379 100%Census 2020

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 Monarch Mill.

HealthD

On CDC estimates, Monarch Mill is less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns

Among adults in Monarch Mill, 14% binge drink, near the South Carolina town median (15%) and below the median of U.S. towns (16%). Monarch Mill: 18% of adults have diabetes. In Monarch Mill, 46% of adults have high blood pressure, and 18% report frequent physical distress.

6%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
Monarch MillSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)18%15%12%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)46%40%35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)18%15%14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)28%23%19%
32 measures vs. South Carolina
0 better15 too close to call17 worse
What stands outMonarch MillSC
More older adults who have lost all their teeth22.7%13.9%
More adults with COPD12.1%7.5%
More smokers19.6%13.3%
Union Medical Center
2.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

SchoolsC−

Monarch Mill’s public schools trail 77% of South Carolina districts

Its one school is below. Public schools: the Union 01 school district. Monarch Mill’s only public school teaches 442 students.

23%of SC districts it outscoresC−School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Monarch ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5442C+

NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D

Most of Monarch Mill’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them

Monarch Mill’s mean commuting time stands at 27 minutes. For most workers, Monarch Mill is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line locally. It had 107 jobs in 2023, down 81 from 2013.

1%work in town
Monarch MillSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line21%17%9.6%
Median household income$39,000$57,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town0.9%6.1%8%
Average trip to work27 minutes24 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Monarch Mill1%
Union18%
Spartanburg10%
Charlotte3%
Columbia2%
26 mi
median commute distance
107
jobs based in Monarch Mill
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−

Natural hazards: low risk in Monarch Mill, mostly inland flooding

Paid flood insurance claims in Monarch Mill since 1989: one. Compared with three quarters of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. Expected losses in Monarch Mill break down as 38% from inland flooding and 23% from tornadoes.

25risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
25Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesEarthquakes
1
paid flood claims since 1989

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Monarch Mill

Monarch Mill’s midsummer high comes in at 91°F.

91°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter33–55°
Spring48–73°
Summer67–89°
Fall50–73°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 4
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC−

Monarch Mill keeps 0.4% of its land conserved

1.0 miles of trail. In Monarch Mill, the trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.

0.4%conserved
Monarch MillSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
Conserved land0.4%1.8%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.2 miles per square mile0.30.4
0.4%
conserved · 13 of 3,563 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HousingCost of living grade A+

The median home in Monarch Mill sells for about $185K

The rent at the middle of the market for Monarch Mill comes to $666 a month, where South Carolina’s towns sit at $1,060 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. The share of households in Monarch Mill who own their home: 74%.

$185Kmedian sale price
Monarch MillSouth Carolina townsU.S. towns
Median rent$666 a month$1,060 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home74%65%73%
1
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Monarch Mill

16pages on Monarch Mill
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Monarch Mill

About 1 of every 100 Monarch Mill residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Monarch Mill for work

Where Monarch Mill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

18% → Union Union 18% 10% → Spartanburg Spartanburg 10% 3% → Charlotte Charlotte 3% 2% → Columbia Columbia 2% 2% → Greenville Greenville 2% 1% → Newberry Newberry 1% Monarch Mill · 1% stay
107jobs based in Monarch Mill
1%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Monarch Mill

CDP in South Carolina, United States

Monarch Mill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,811 at the 2010 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
5.6 sq mi

Monarch Mill’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Monarch Mill.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownSC rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Monarch Mill——A+—C−D
Union#151D−A−D−C−D−

Monarch Mill has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Monarch Mill reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Monarch Mill with a neighbor →

Questions about Monarch Mill

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Monarch Mill, SC expensive?

Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $83,000, 73% 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+.