Households in Tega Cay have higher incomes than those in 94% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 1.5% of residents; South Carolina has 14.1%. Jobs and income earn Tega Cay A+; getting around on foot earns it B−. 32% of workers have no commute at all (South Carolina 12%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Tega Cay, in brief
Jobs in Tega Cay have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Tega Cay went from 775 in 2013 to 1,949 in 2023, +151%. The jobs ↓
A lot of Tega Cay works from home
32% of Tega Cay workers work from home, against 12% across South Carolina. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Tega Cay workers cross into North Carolina
28% of Tega Cay workers work outside South Carolina, most of them in North Carolina, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
One in three of Tega Cay works in Charlotte
1,858 working residents, 33%, have their main job in Charlotte, NC, 16 miles away. That’s 8 times as many as work in Tega Cay itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Tega Cay
71% of Tega Cay residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 53% of the jobs based in Tega Cay pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: Tega Cay’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Tega Cay is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #1 of 168 in South Carolina. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 81% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Tega Cay could be anywhere from A to A+.
Jobs in Tega Cay: what the 1,949 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Tega Cay, 2013 → 2023: 775 → 1,949. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Tega Cay’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Tega Cay’s commute takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Tega Cay workers work from home, vs 12% across South Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,555 commuters (the 32% who work from home are left out). Across South Carolina: 86% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
33% of working residents work in Charlotte
Where Tega Cay clocks in
33% of workers
11% of workers
8% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Tega Cay quiets down on a workday
On a workday 5,467 residents head out to work, 218 work right here, and 1,731 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Tega Cay on a workday afternoon, 26% fewer than live here.
0.34 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where in the region Tega Cay works
About 20% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The commute in Tega Cay is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Tega Cay is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns, #75 of 169 in South Carolina. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.4% across South Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,743 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.9% of Tega Cay households have no vehicle (South Carolina 5.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Tega Cay’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Tega Cay is 58th of 2,362 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 56 | Floral Park NY | 16,105 | $150K | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| 57 | Blue Ash OH | 13,707 | $115K | 4.0% | 1.2% | 11% | A+ |
| 58 | Tega Cay SC | 14,457 | $142K | 1.5% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| 59 | South Fayette Township PA | 18,648 | $124K | 3.6% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 60 | Fort Hunt VA | 16,700 | $216K | 2.2% | 3.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 186 | Five Forks SC | 18,656 | $142K | 2.5% | 3.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 239 | James Island SC | 12,660 | $104K | 5.6% | 1.2% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 771 | Powdersville SC | 10,771 | $85K | 9.3% | 1.7% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,362 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Tega Cay, the top three, the last and three more from South Carolina.
Tega Cay and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Baxter Village (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Tega Cay workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tega Cay | – | A+ | B− | 31 min | $142,000 |
| Baxter Village | 1% | A− | A− | 20 min | $151,629 |
| Riverview | under 1% | B+ | B | 19 min | $135,782 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Tega Cay’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Tega Cay: questions
What is the median household income in Tega Cay?
$142,000 (±$23,593) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,324 across South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Tega Cay?
1.5%, against 14.1% across South Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Tega Cay?
31 minutes each way on average, against 26 across South Carolina and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Tega Cay work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charlotte (33%, 16 mi), Fort Mill (11%, 5 mi), Rock Hill (8%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Tega Cay walkable?
Tega Cay is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Tega Cay without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Tega Cay, from the people who make the trip.
More of Tega Cay
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.