Population 36,417 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Gaffney
Household size in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.63 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.65 | 2.59 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.65 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.58 | 2.50 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.05 | −0.04 | −0.03 |
Households in Gaffney average 2.58 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in South Carolina overall, where it has 2.50 people. Household size has edged down from 2.63 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.6 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.9 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.7 | 40.6 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.0 | 41.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.3 | +2.9 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in Gaffney are younger than 39.0 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The population here is younger than in South Carolina as a whole, where the median age is 41.2. The median age has climbed from 37.6 in 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.8% | 13.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.4% | 13.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.6% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.7% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | −1.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in seven households in Gaffney (13.7%), above the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share has risen 1.9 points since 2006–10, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Gaffney
Renters in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.3% | 30.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.1% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.8% | 30.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 27.5% | 28.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −5.8 pts | −2.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Gaffney own their homes; 27.5% rent, below the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 53.7% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southeast. The renter share is down 5.8 points from 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.2% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.4% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 15.3% | 13.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.6% | 11.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | −2.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
More homes sit empty in Gaffney than nationally: 13.6%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. Vacancy is up 1.3 points from 2006–10, even as the national rate fell.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1984 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1991 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +7 | +6 |
The typical home in Gaffney was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in South Carolina as a whole, where the median home dates to 1991. The median year built has moved up from 1979 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the northwest, the oldest in the center.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $563 | $780 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $681 | $859 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $728 | $984 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $880 | $1,294 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$317 | +$514 | +$606 |
The median renter in Gaffney pays $880 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $317 a month from 2006–10, a 56% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 31.8% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Renters on a budget will find the lowest rents in the southeast; the highest are in the southwest.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Gaffney
Bachelor's degrees in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.9% | 25.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.9% | 26.5% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 16.9% | 28.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 22.3% | 32.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.4 pts | +7.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Gaffney have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 22.3%, against 35.6% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 8.4 points, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the northwest and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 76.1% | 84.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 79.1% | 85.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 83.0% | 87.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 85.8% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +9.6 pts | +6.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in Gaffney never finished high school, more than nationally: 85.8% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The share with a diploma has risen 9.6 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Gaffney
| Period | Gaffney | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.0% | 9.1% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.9% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.5% | 5.8% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.5% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −7.5 pts | −4.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Gaffney: 7.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Unemployment is down 7.5 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Gaffney compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaffney | 2.58 | 39.0 | 13.7% | 27.5% | 13.6% | 1983 | $880 | 22.3% | 85.8% | 7.5% |
| East Gaffney | 2.60 | 40.3 | 13.4% | 28.5% | 21.4% | 1982 | $769 | 11.0% | 84.3% | 3.9% |
| Draytonville | 2.30 | 44.6 | 11.5% | 7.5% | 11.1% | 1985 | $798 | 8.2% | 66.9% | 0.0% |
| Cherokee Falls | 2.86 | 37.5 | 12.5% | 16.1% | 4.6% | 1982 | $744 | 13.8% | 89.5% | 1.6% |
| Cowpens | 2.49 | 44.2 | 10.5% | 24.6% | 9.3% | 1983 | $908 | 17.3% | 83.5% | 3.7% |
| Clifton | 2.50 | 40.1 | 16.2% | 27.4% | 14.5% | 1975 | $1,068 | 12.6% | 78.9% | 3.3% |
| Blacksburg | 2.61 | 42.4 | 13.9% | 24.7% | 13.1% | 1985 | $732 | 15.4% | 82.7% | 5.1% |
| Wilkinsville | 2.25 | 51.9 | 7.9% | 11.6% | 16.1% | 1989 | $746 | 8.6% | 84.9% | 4.6% |
| Mayo | 2.67 | 35.4 | 16.1% | 30.0% | 6.6% | 1985 | $803 | 14.5% | 81.6% | 1.8% |
| Pacolet Mills | 2.52 | 40.1 | 8.3% | 18.4% | 9.7% | 1991 | $1,075 | 18.8% | 90.0% | 0.7% |
| Converse | 2.40 | 53.5 | 9.3% | 27.0% | 18.8% | 1974 | $879 | 25.4% | 91.7% | 8.2% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Burien, WA · Calumet City, IL · Central Islip, NY · Ooltewah, TN · Port Angeles, WA · Pleasant Hill, CA · Patillas, PR · Parkland, FL · Paramus, NJ · Paragould, AR
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Gaffney. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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