SaxonSC
In South Carolina, this town has 4,085 residents.
Is Saxon a good place to live?
Easy on the wallet, harder on other counts. Where it falls short is health: on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. On cost of living it is strong: a typical home costs about $90K, 1.4 years of the Spartanburg metro’s $64K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns. That places it 102nd of 167 in South Carolina. It also trails on incomes — the median household income is $32K, and 46% of residents live below the poverty line. Saxon is home to Spartanburg Methodist College. Only 4 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower average commute than Saxon.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
What makes Saxon stand out
Where Saxon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Spartanburg Methodist College | 863 |
| Widest gap | Saxon | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.3% | 8.9% |
Saxon has grown 14% from 2010 to 2020
3,424 counted in 2010 and 3,896 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Saxon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Saxon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Saxon: who provides what
Saxon is unincorporated, so Spartanburg 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Saxon.
Saxon has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina; it also has poverty well above the South Carolina rate.
Compared with most of South Carolina and the rest of the country, more of Saxon’s adults sleep under 7 hours
Among adults in Saxon, 39% feel lonely, above both the South Carolina town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (33%). In Saxon, 23% of adults smoke cigarettes. Also worth knowing: only one of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare has a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Saxon. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Saxon is ahead of South Carolina on 2 and behind on 27.
| Saxon | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Saxon | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 8.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13% | 15.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A larger share of residents in Saxon live below the poverty line than in the typical South Carolina or U.S. town
The average commute for its 1,343 working residents takes 16.4 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina. Jobs based here grew from 508 in 2013 to 703.
Only 8 of the 168 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median household income than Saxon. Its average commute stands at 16 minutes, against 24 minutes in South Carolina’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 195, to 703. The top destinations are Spartanburg (13%), Greenville (7%) and Southern Shops (3%).
| Saxon | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 46% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $32,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest natural risk in Saxon is inland flooding, at a low overall level
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Saxon than in just over three quarters of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Saxon break down as 53% from inland flooding and 13% from cold waves. One declared disaster, in 2024, has brought federal aid to Saxon households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mild winters and hot summers in Saxon
The Spartanburg 3 Sse weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 206 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 92% of South Carolina places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.4°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 88% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 31.5°.
Saxon’s midsummer high stands at 89°F. It almost never snows. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Saxon | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Conserved land covers 0.9% of Saxon
0.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Saxon has one park or preserve, 8 acres in all. Its concentration of trails stands at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Saxon | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Salvation Army Century of Service Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Saxon sells for about $192K
At 1.4 years of the Spartanburg metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 99% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $511, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The rent at the middle of the market in Saxon is $934 a month. Only 10 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower home-ownership rate than Saxon.
| Saxon | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $934 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Peachoid and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Saxon. Close and well known come first.
19 mi LandmarkPeachoid
25 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
14 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a year
36 mi State parkChimney Rock State Park
34 mi National Historic SiteCarl Sandburg Home National Historic Site95K visitors a year
39 mi Park & preserveDuPont State ForestPhoto credits
Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Bon Secours Wellness Arena: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0 · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain · Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain · DuPont State Forest: Ccalvin, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Everything we know about Saxon
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Saxon
About 14 of every 100 Saxon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
14% of Saxon is in college
About Saxon
CDP in South Carolina, United States
Saxon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,424 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 860 ft
Saxon’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Saxon.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxon | #102 | C | B+ | — | B− | D− |
| Arcadia | #112 | C− | B− | — | B− | C− |
| Spartanburg | #117 | C− | C+ | — | B | C− |
| Hilltop | #101 | C | B− | — | B | D |
| Southern Shops | #111 | C− | B | — | A− | D− |
Saxon, Arcadia, Spartanburg, Hilltop and Southern Shops report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Saxon with a neighbor →
Questions about Saxon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Saxon, SC a good place to live?
Saxon grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #102 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Saxon, SC expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $90,000, 70% 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 B+.