Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,739. Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
Pendleton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $278K for a typical one, or 3.9 years of the Greenville metro’s $71K median household income. It grades B overall, 34th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina. On the plus side, its public schools beat 96% of South Carolina towns on state tests and graduation. 50% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Pendleton, above both South Carolina’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (29%). Pendleton is home to Tri-County Technical College.
Where Pendleton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pendleton Elementary | PK–6 | 547 |
| Riverside Middle | 7–8 | 453 |
Pendleton Historic District| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Tri-County Technical College | 4,978 |
2,964 counted in 2010 and 3,489 in 2020; an estimated 3,739 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.1% since 2020, after 17.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Pendleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 854 in 1860, a low of 476 in 1890, 3,489 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Pendleton, 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 Pendleton.
Pendleton pairs an A+ for schools with modest home prices, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
That grade comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $278K. It ranks #8 of the 169 South Carolina towns we grade for schools.
The public schools here belong to the Anderson 04 school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 547 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,606 in 2013 to 938.
Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles. Pendleton: 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Commuting out is the norm locally: 4% of working residents work locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Pendleton dropped by 668, to 938.
| Pendleton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with 77% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Pendleton is lower. FEMA puts 48% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to cold waves. Federal aid has come to Pendleton households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within South Carolina, it does better than nearly two thirds of towns. The level of violent crime for Pendleton comes to 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Pendleton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Clemson Univ weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 217 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 84% 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 33°.
Pendleton’s January low stands at 33°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Pendleton | 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
Against the 9,374 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pendleton’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Against the South Carolina average, Pendleton comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 2. Among adults here, 34% sleep under 7 hours.
| Pendleton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Pendleton | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 12.1% | 13.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.8% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in Pendleton typically sold within 95 days of listing. Homes here are typically worth about $278,000, about the same as a year ago, 9% below the South Carolina typical home. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 53%.
| Pendleton | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,034 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Walkers can cover 0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 16 |
| 2. Pendleton Village Green | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pendleton. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium, Clemson
13 mi LakeLake Hartwell
13 mi LakeLake Keowee
35 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
23 mi LakeLake Jocassee
26 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness ArenaMemorial 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 · Currahee Mountain: Wikilackey (talk), Public domain · Lake Jocassee: Clemson3564, Public domain · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Pendleton
About 11 of every 100 Pendleton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4 places in Pendleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Pendleton.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The town is located southeast of Clemson, SC, which is home to Clemson University. The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and its immediate surroundings, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Particularly notable historic buildings on the Pendleton town square include Farmer's Hall and Hunter's Store, which is currently the headquarters of the Pendleton District Historical, Recreational and Tourism Commission. Near Pendleton are the historic plantation homes Ashtabula …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Pendleton.
La France isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pendleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pendleton grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #34 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B for health, C for safety and A+ for schools.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 66% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
14 notable people were born here, including Thomas Jefferson Rusk and Bryce McGowens.
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