Faith Cabin Library at Anderson County Training School · Photo: KudzuVine · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Pendleton run?
Pendleton’s town government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,157 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pendleton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,157 per resident a year, or $3.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,021 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pendleton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,021 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 South Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,138, and the middle half spent $694–$1,617. Pendleton spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Pendleton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pendleton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,021 · 2024: $1,157. Per resident it went from $1,021 to $1,157 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,313 to 3,589.
full-time in March 2025, up from 22 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,341 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Pendleton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Pendleton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pendleton →
Who’s in charge in Pendleton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pendleton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofpendleton.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 124 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,589).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Anderson School District 4
Pendleton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,654 per pupil, $8,807 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
South Carolina districts overall: 45% local, 43% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pendleton’s votes are counted by county
South Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Pendleton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Anderson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.1%71,828 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.7%25,281 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,187 votes).
Most votes in Anderson County: Donald J Trump
South Carolina: Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.4%
100% of Pendleton lies in Anderson County; the rest in Pickens County. Every 2024 race in Anderson County is on the county’s page.
Anderson County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Pendleton.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofpendleton.org ↗
- 2South Carolina HousePendleton is split between 2 districts
- 3South Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Pendleton compares with the towns next door
Pendleton spent $1,021 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,185. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Clemson | $1,185 | $1,912 |
| Pendleton | $1,021 | $1,341 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Pendleton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pendleton’s government
How much does Pendleton spend per resident?
About $1,157 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,021 was less than 56% of 43 South Carolina cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pendleton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,341 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across South Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofpendleton.org.
Who runs Pendleton’s government?
See townofpendleton.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pendleton yet.
How did Pendleton vote in 2024?
South Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Pendleton alone. Anderson County, where 100% of Pendleton lies, voted Trump 73.1%, Harris 25.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pendleton?
29 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $144,980 (about $1.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pendleton in the state legislature?
Pendleton is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The South Carolina Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 3 (Richard Cash). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pendleton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →