Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pelzer’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and an A for cost of living and history; its weakest is a C for incomes. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Pelzer, where South Carolina’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 170 South Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Pelzer. On history, just 10 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better. Pelzer's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 17 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better. Pelzer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Pelzer beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Pelzer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,692 in 1950, a low of 81 in 1990, 1,344 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pelzer. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
25 mi LakeLake Hartwell
27 mi LakeLake Keowee
34 mi LakeLake Jocassee
15 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
31 mi State parkTable Rock State ParkMemorial Stadium, Clemson: Caseyh at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Hartwell: blahedo, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lake Keowee: Inundated_38Oc1.jpg: Matthew T. Bradley from Berkshire County, Mass., USA deriva, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0 · Table Rock State Park: Clemson3564, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pelzer, and how to reach them.
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 Pelzer.
Most working residents leave Pelzer for work: only 0% work in town. At 30 minutes, Pelzer’s average trip to work is above both South Carolina’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Pelzer has lost 102 jobs, to 132 in 2023.
| Pelzer | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Pelzer. Pelzer beats the South Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 13% of adults have diabetes in Pelzer.
| Pelzer | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 80% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Pelzer | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.1% | 13.9% |
| More adults with depression | 28.2% | 22.3% |
| More smokers | 16.6% | 13.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Pelzer has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Pelzer’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). Pelzer has grown 6.8% since 2020, to 1,434 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Pelzer | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.1 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 23% | 29% |
Somewhere between 40% and 71% women
The Census survey reached too few of Pelzer’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±15.4 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Pelzer | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.1% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 21.4% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.8% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.4% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 5.1% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
| Pelzer | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pelzer Recreation Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 2. Monkey Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
76% of Pelzer households own their home.
| Pelzer | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,029 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pelzer
About 2 of every 100 Pelzer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Pelzer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Pelzer on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Pelzer.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Pelzer is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States, along the Saluda River. Its population was 89 at the 2010 census, and grew to 1,344 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $178,000, 41% 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.
4 notable people were born here, including John Wilson and Ed Chaplin.
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