Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,898. Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. Overall it grades C+, ranked 76th of 167 in South Carolina. Its schools outperform 85% of the state's. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $40K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Parker, above both South Carolina’s towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Brandon Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. Parker is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Parker beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Monaview Elementary | PK–5 | 592 |
| Alexander Elementary | PK–5 | 494 |
11,431 counted in 2010 and 13,407 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Parker is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 10,760 in 2000, 13,407 in 2020. The archive holds 4 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 Parker. Close and well known come first.
39 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
25 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
4 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
25 mi LakeLake Keowee
35 mi LakeLake Hartwell
28 mi LakeLake JocasseeBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Memorial 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 · Lake Hartwell: blahedo, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain
Parker 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 Parker.
Parker has homes that are cheap against local pay and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina; it also has poverty well above the South Carolina rate.
27% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Parker. Only 7 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Parker. 33% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Parker.
| Parker | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 21% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 13% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Parker | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 26% | 28.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 26.5% | 11.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Greenville 01 school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monaview ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 592 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Parker for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Parker has lost 170 jobs, to 2,418 in 2023. The top destinations are Greenville (27%), Mauldin (4%) and Wade Hampton (2%).
| Parker | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 88.8°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 95% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 32.4°.
Parker has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Parker’s January low is 32°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Parker | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Parker.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Westside Park, at 44 acres. The trail density in Parker is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Parker | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Westside Park | — | 44 |
| 2. Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
| 3. Textile Heritage Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.1 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 90% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
43% of Parker households own their home.
| Parker | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,099 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Parker
About 3 of every 100 Parker residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Parker’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States
Parker is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 11,431 at the 2010 census, up from 10,760 in 2000. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Parker.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker | #76 | C+ | B | — | A | D− |
| Greenville | #71 | C+ | D | D | A | A− |
| Berea | #89 | C | B− | — | A | D |
| City View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sans Souci | #43 | B | B− | — | A | C |
| Welcome | #41 | B | B | — | A | C− |
| Judson | #97 | C | B | — | A | D− |
Parker, Berea, Sans Souci, Welcome and Judson report no FBI crime data of their own. City View isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Parker with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Parker grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #76 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $150,000, 51% below the South Carolina typical home.
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