Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,086, settled in 1848.
Saluda gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $156K, 2.3 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income. It grades C overall, 90th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $43K, and 44% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. 44% of residents live below the poverty line in Saluda, against 17% in South Carolina’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Saluda's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Saluda has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Butler Family Cemetery and Bonham House.
Where Saluda beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,565 counted in 2010 and 3,122 in 2020; an estimated 3,086 in 2025.
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 Saluda is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 289 in 1900, 3,122 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1915.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Saluda, 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 Saluda.
Saluda trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Greenwood and other neighbors, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Newberry County Memorial Hospital, is 22.2 miles away in a straight line. Against the 3,187 U.S. towns with household incomes like Saluda’s, it is less healthy than 61%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
24% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Saluda. Saluda beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 48% of adults have obesity in Saluda.
| Saluda | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 21% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Saluda | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 24.3% | 11.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Saluda 01 school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saluda PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 474 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $156K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles. At 2.3 years of the Columbia metro’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $156K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
49% of Saluda households own their home. The typical Saluda home is worth about $156,000, about the same as a year ago, 49% below the South Carolina typical home. The median rent in Saluda is $816 a month.
| Saluda | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $816 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Saluda weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 218 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Saluda has mild winters and hot summers. Saluda’s July high is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Saluda has about as many jobs (1,050) as working residents, but only 92 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 1,459 in 2013 to 1,050.
Most working residents leave Saluda for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Saluda fell to 1,050 in 2023, 409 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Greenwood (4%), Columbia (3%) and Batesburg-Leesville (3%).
| Saluda | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within South Carolina, it does better than 77% of towns.
| Saluda | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.1 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Saluda; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Saluda residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
2 places in Saluda on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Saluda.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Saluda is a town in Saluda County, South Carolina, United States, along the Little Saluda River. As of the 2020 census, Saluda had a population of 3,122. It is the county seat of Saluda County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Saluda grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #90 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 77% 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 A.
5 notable people were born here, including Milledge Luke Bonham and James Butler Hare.
