Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spartanburg is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 117th of 167 in South Carolina, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 55% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. A typical home there costs about $230K, 3.6 years of the Spartanburg metro’s $64K median household income. Spartanburg’s violent crime rate is 14.8 per 1,000 residents, against 4.4 in South Carolina’s towns and 1.7 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Wofford College Historic District and Walker Hall. Spartanburg is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Spartanburg beats most towns.
Evins-Bivings House
Its 29 National Register listings are more than in 97% of South Carolina towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,176 in 1850, 38,732 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Spartanburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spartanburg, 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 Spartanburg.
Spartanburg draws workers from Boiling Springs and beyond, 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.
38,230 jobs are based in Spartanburg, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 25,785 in 2013 to 38,230.
About one in 4 of Spartanburg’s working residents works in town. 24% of Spartanburg residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Spartanburg grew to 38,230 in 2023, 12,445 more than in 2013.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Spartanburg 07 school district. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCracken MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 937 | B |
| Spartanburg HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,164 | A |
| Pine St. ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 631 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,450 U.S. towns with household incomes like Spartanburg’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of adults worry about having enough food in Spartanburg. Spartanburg beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 16% of adults have diabetes in Spartanburg.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Spartanburg | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.6% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
11 miles of trail in 36 parks and preserves. Edwin M Griffin Nature Preserve, at 91 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Edwin M Griffin Nature Preserve | 2.8 mi | 91 |
| 2. Cleveland Park | 0.6 mi | 28 |
| 3. Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve | 0.6 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Spartanburg home is worth about $230,000, up 0.5% in a year, 25% below the South Carolina typical home.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,099 a month | $1,058 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spartanburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Spartanburg 3 Sse weather station 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 89.9°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 79% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 31.3°.
Spartanburg has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Spartanburg’s January low is 31°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 31°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Spartanburg's reported crime rate is well above South Carolina's. The property crime rate in Spartanburg is 52.3 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Spartanburg has grown 3.2% since 2020, to 39,978 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Spartanburg | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 23% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.6 points). Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.1, men 34.3.
| Spartanburg | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.9% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spartanburg. Close and well known come first.
17 mi LandmarkPeachoid
27 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
14 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a year
38 mi State parkChimney Rock State Park
31 mi National Military ParkKings Mountain National Military Park176K visitors a year
37 mi National Historic SiteCarl Sandburg Home National Historic Site95K visitors a yearPeachoid: 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 · Kings Mountain National Military Park: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain
6 within 15 miles of the center of Spartanburg
About 9 of every 100 Spartanburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
2 colleges in town.
29 places in Spartanburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
50 notable people were born in Spartanburg.
City in South Carolina, United States
Spartanburg, also known as "Sparkle City", is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's 11th-most populous city. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) groups Spartanburg and Union counties together as the Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Spartanburg is the second-largest city in the greater Greenville–Spartanburg–Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 1,590,636 in 2023. It is part of a ten-county region of northwestern South Carolina known as "The Upstate", and is 98 miles (158 km) northwest of Columbia, 80 miles (…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Spartanburg.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartanburg | #117 | C− | C+ | — | B | C− |
| Hilltop | #101 | C | B− | — | B | D |
| Arkwright | #119 | C− | B+ | — | B | D |
| Drayton | — | — | B | — | B | C− |
| Ben Avon | — | — | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Saxon | #102 | C | B+ | — | B− | D− |
| Whitney | #92 | C | B | — | B | C− |
Drayton and Ben Avon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Spartanburg, Hilltop, Arkwright, Drayton, Ben Avon, Saxon and Whitney report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Spartanburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Spartanburg grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #117 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
50 notable people were born here, including Celia Weston and Lee Haney.
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