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Cost of living, pay and housing

34.05° N · 80.96° W · GEOID 4502125

Arcadia Lakes

Richland County, South Carolina · part of the Columbia, SC metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

South CarolinaArcadia Lakes, SCArcadia LakesArcadia Lakes

The short answer

Arcadia Lakes is home to 901 people. Median household income is $103,250 a year and median rent is $1,228 a month, 14.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $351,000, about 3.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,228
10% below the median place
Median household income
$103,250
29% above the median place
Median home value
$351,000
10% above the median place
Unemployment
6.5%
32% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Arcadia Lakes

  • Between the 2019 and 2020 surveys, rent rose 118.3% a year while household income rose -2.1%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • The median resident is 64.8 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 110 hours a year commuting, less than in 91% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 90 South Carolina places.
  • 67% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 92% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • 90% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 90% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 101 South Carolina places.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 93 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Many people here skip the commute entirely: 26% work from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 93% of places.

01

Moving to Arcadia Lakes

Richland County gains about 3.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in24,754
Moved out23,811
Net+943

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within South Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within South CarolinaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$59K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Richland County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
12.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 6.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Richland County report $57,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $58,600.
Income you would need
$49,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,228 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,121 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $351,000.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 26.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Pinehurst, NC matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
6.0%
205% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
12.3%
114% above the median place
Income of households moving in8
$57,579
18% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure12.3%114% above
Moved from another state1County figure6.0%205% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure3.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$57,57918% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$58,56917% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 90.0%, 36% above the median place.

Arcadia Lakes14.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$49,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.3%
30% below the median place
Home price to income
3.4x
11% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$91,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Arcadia Lakes, $1,228 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Arcadia Lakes.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Arcadia Lakes? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
90.0%
36% above the median place
Median year built1
1968
1% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
22% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,22810% below
Rent to income114.3%30% below
Property tax rate10.7%22% below
Home price to income13.4x11% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.77% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,22624% below
HUD area median income4County figure$92,40014% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,50923% below
Median home value1$351,00010% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.1%4% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.1%5% above
Homeownership190.0%36% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure58.5%16% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,12113% above
Vacant homes1County figure10.5%48% above
Median year built119681% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
26.5%
113% above the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
21% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$103,25029% above
Income per person1$57,76344% above
Unemployment1County figure6.5%32% above
Average annual pay6County figure$65,1251% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure229,38352% above
Poverty rate1County figure17.2%60% above
Mean commute120 min21% below
Works from home126.5%113% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 64.8, 66% above the median place.

Median age1
64.8
66% above the median place
High school or higher1
98.0%
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
67.3%
110% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband97.6% +6%
Household size2.1 −14%
Born abroad8.9% +1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19016646th largest
Population change since 20207-2.1%below (median 1.1%)
Median age164.866% above
Bachelor's or higher167.3%110% above
High school or higher198.0%6% above
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad18.9%1% above
No health insurance1County figure8.7%36% above
Homes with broadband197.6%6% above
05

Life in Arcadia Lakes

196 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.1 −3%
Shops29.1 −4%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.4 −17%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.8 −12%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools11
102
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
60,410
above the median place (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11
13.3
14% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure102above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure60,410above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure13.314% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure20.13% below
Shops per 10k9County figure29.14% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.417% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure17.812% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.013% below
National Register listings10County figure196above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 92°F, 6% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Arcadia Lakes. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
92°F
6% above the median place
Hurricane risk13
94.4
34% above the median place
Average temperature12
64°F
16% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureArcadia LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure92°F6% above
January average low12County figure34°F37% above
Average temperature12County figure64°F16% above
Annual precipitation12County figure45.5 in4% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure93.11% above
Hurricane risk13County figure94.434% above
Tornado risk13County figure95.017% above
Wildfire risk13County figure69.714% above
Heat wave risk13County figure94.75% above
Median air quality index14County figure479% above
Good air days14County figure58.1%15% below
08

Arcadia Lakes in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$103,250 (2024)$127,000$107,500 to $150,000+3.5%
Median home value$351,000 (2024)$480,000$349,000 to $662,000+5.4%
Population852 (2025)850810 to 890−0.1%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.4 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Arcadia Lakes

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Pinehurst, NC$1,664$109,802Compare
Litchfield Beach, SC$1,704$76,351Compare
Palmer Ranch, FL$1,794$102,838Compare
Fernandina Beach, FL$1,259$97,903Compare
Fernandina Beach, FLPalmer Ranch, FLLitchfield Beach, SCPinehurst, NCArcadia Lakes, SCArcadia LakesPinehurstLitchfield BeachPalmer RanchFernandina BeachArcadia LakesPinehurstLitchfield BeachPalmer RanchFernandina Beach

Common questions

Is Arcadia Lakes a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2020 surveys, rent rose 118.3% a year while household income rose -2.1%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places. The median resident is 64.8 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Arcadia Lakes expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $351,000.

What salary do you need to live in Arcadia Lakes?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $49,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Arcadia Lakes?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Pinehurst, NC, Litchfield Beach, SC, Palmer Ranch, FL and Fernandina Beach, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Arcadia Lakes with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Arcadia Lakes itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/arcadia-lakes-south-carolina

Citytistics. “Arcadia Lakes, South Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/arcadia-lakes-south-carolina/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.