Best PlacesGreenwood County, SC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Greenwood County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Greenwood County ranks 1,413th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Greenwood County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in Greenwood County
The parts of Greenwood County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Hodges
Prices have run up less, local pay stretches further, and incomes run higher.
Ninety Six
It is quieter, though fewer households have young kids.
Greenwood
Streets are more walkable, though fewer residents vote.
Scores across Greenwood County run from about the 8th to the 79th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
Greenwood County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Greenwood County ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of counties
- Short commute20.3 minutes each way, better than 77% of counties
- School gradeB−, better than 72% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than 71% of counties
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 70% of counties
Where Greenwood County ranks low
- Cheap childcare$954 a month, better than only 21% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 71 pleasant days a year, better than only 22% of counties
- Crime safetyBetter than only 29% of counties
- Household income$61,576 median, better than only 30% of counties
- Local economyBetter than only 32% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Greenwood County
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Greenwood County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,576, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Greenwood County's effective rate of 0.58%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Greenwood County
Greenwood County's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Greenwood County.
Who works in Greenwood County, and how
Work in Greenwood County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Greenwood County
Greenwood County has more late-night spots per resident than 69% of counties. That concentrates in some parts of Greenwood County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Greenwood County growing, and who is moving in?
Greenwood County has held roughly flat in population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Greenville, SC.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Greenwood County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Greenwood County, month by month
Greenwood County sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 47° |
| July | 92° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 78° | 63° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Greenwood County
The nearest airport, Greenville Spartanburg International, is about 48 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 97 miles away.
The best schools in and around Greenwood County
Schools across Greenwood County average a B−, better than 72% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Ninety Six ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Hodges ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Merrywood ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Edgewood MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Westview MiddleB− · 39% proficient
- Ware Shoals Elementary MiddleC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Greenwood HighA · 75% proficient
- Emerald HighA− · 60% proficient
- Ninety Six HighB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Greenwood County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Greenwood County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Greenwood County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Greenwood County suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 5% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Greenwood County
Is Greenwood County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Greenwood County ranks 1,413th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on fast internet, short commutes, and good schools, and lowest on childcare costs and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Greenwood County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $194,410. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $61,576 median income, cost of living beats 40% of counties.
Is Greenwood County safe?
Greenwood County is safer than 29% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $530 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Greenwood County?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 57 with lows near 31. That works out to about 71 pleasant days a year, more than 22% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Greenwood County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Hodges, Ninety Six, and Greenwood. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Compare Greenwood County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Greenwood County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Greenwood County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Greenwood County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Greenwood County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Greenwood County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Greenwood County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Greenwood County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Greenwood County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.