Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of South Carolina.
Wellford grades C+ overall, ranked 77th of 167 in South Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 82% of South Carolina towns. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 5 of South Carolina’s 107 towns score higher on safety. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Wellford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Wellford beats most towns.
2,378 counted in 2010 and 3,293 in 2020; an estimated 3,914 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.2% since 2020, after 38.5% in the decade before.
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 Wellford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 302 in 1880, a low of 180 in 1920, 3,293 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1938 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wellford. Close and well known come first.
26 mi LandmarkPeachoid
18 mi Stadium & arenaBon Secours Wellness Arena
34 mi State parkChimney Rock State Park
20 mi National BattlefieldCowpens National Battlefield175K visitors a year
32 mi Park & preserveDuPont State Forest
29 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 · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain · Cowpens National Battlefield: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · DuPont State Forest: Ccalvin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wellford, 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 Wellford.
Wellford fares better on crime within South Carolina than nationally and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina; it also has little public open land.
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Wellford, above both the South Carolina town median (38%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 27% of Wellford adults worry about having enough food. Wellford beats the South Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21.
| Wellford | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 21% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Wellford | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 8.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Spartanburg 05 school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellford Academy of Science and TechnologyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 654 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,323 in 2013 to 879.
Most working residents leave Wellford for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Wellford has lost 444 jobs, to 879 in 2023. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Wellford, close to South Carolina’s towns (17%) and above U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Wellford | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 97% of South Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 41 to 20 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Wellford is 4.7 per 1,000 residents. Only 2 of the 90 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Wellford. Wellford reports less crime per resident than 69% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Wellford | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Greer weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 48 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 86% of South Carolina places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.7°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 83% of South Carolina places with climate records; January nights average 31.9°.
Wellford has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Wellford’s January low is 32°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Wellford | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 34°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Wellford home is worth about $267,000, up 2.1% in a year, 12% below the South Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 2 of its 3,402 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Wellford itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Wellford | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Cooley Park and Outdoor Education Center | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 2. Memory Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of Wellford
About 3 of every 100 Wellford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
Where Wellford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in South Carolina, United States
Wellford is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,293 at the 2020 census, up from 2,378 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wellford.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellford | #77 | C+ | C+ | B+ | A− | D |
| Startex | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lyman | #31 | B+ | B− | B | A− | C+ |
| Duncan | #91 | C | B− | C+ | A− | C+ |
Startex isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wellford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wellford grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #77 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($64,382 across the Spartanburg, SC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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