CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.91° N · 81.94° W · GEOID 4502530

Arkwright

Spartanburg County, South Carolina · part of the Spartanburg, SC metro

Limited data population under 5,000

South CarolinaArkwright, SCArkwrightArkwright

The short answer

Arkwright is home to 2,816 people. Median household income is $53,519 a year and median rent is $981 a month, 22.0% 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 $164,100, about 3.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$981
28% below the median place
Median household income
$53,519
33% below the median place
Median home value
$164,100
49% below the median place
Unemployment
11.1%
127% 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 Arkwright

  • 9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 97% of the 2,473 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • The median resident is 26.8 years old, younger than in 97% of places its size.
  • Unemployment averaged 11.1% over the survey period, higher than in 92% of places its size.
  • Renters occupy 50% of homes, more than in 90% of places its size.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $43,600 a year left, less than in 86% of places its size.
01

Moving to Arkwright

Spartanburg County gains about 25.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in19,967
Moved out12,952
Net+7,015

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$62K
Leavers$58K

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

Who moves here
6.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Spartanburg County report $61,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $58,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$39,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $981 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,169 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $164,100.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 8.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Alton, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
25.2
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$58,213
17% below the median place
Moved from another state1
2.9%
46% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.0%5% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.9%46% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure25.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$61,92812% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$58,21317% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax paid (median) is $895, 73% below the median place.

Arkwright22.0%
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
$39,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.0%
8% above the median place
Home price to income
3.1x
19% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$44,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Arkwright, $981 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Arkwright, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Toppenish, WA17.4% vs 22.0%$12,300Compare
Rupert, ID18.8% vs 22.0%n/aCompare
Vernal, UT17.4% vs 22.0%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Arkwright? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$895
73% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,169
38% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
40% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$98128% below
Rent to income122.0%8% above
Property tax rate10.6%40% below
Home price to income13.1x19% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure91.010% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,19626% below
HUD area median income4County figure$91,20015% below
Property tax paid (median)1$89573% below
Median home value1$164,10049% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.5%9% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure62.3%21% above
Homeownership149.8%25% below
Renters paying 30%+145.6%10% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,16938% below
Vacant homes17.5%6% above
Median year built119810% above
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%)
Income per person1
$21,090
47% below the median place
Unemployment1
11.1%
127% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate23.6% 2.2×
Median household income$53,519 −33%
Mean commute20 min −19%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$53,51933% below
Income per person1$21,09047% below
Unemployment111.1%127% above
Average annual pay6County figure$62,1616% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs6County figure157,4845% above
Poverty rate123.6%119% above
Mean commute120 min19% below
Works from home1County figure8.9%29% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 9.2%, 71% below the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
9.2%
71% below the median place
Median age1
26.8
31% below the median place
No health insurance1
16.6%
159% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.9 +15%
Homes with broadband88.0% −5%
High school or higher86.9% −6%
All 8 people measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,8166646th largest
Median age126.831% below
Bachelor's or higher19.2%71% below
High school or higher186.9%6% below
Household size12.915% above
Born abroad1County figure8.7%1% below
No health insurance116.6%159% above
Homes with broadband188.0%5% below
05

Life in Arkwright

77 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents14.2 +40%
Playgrounds per 10k14.2 +51%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.6 −15%
Shops32.0 +6%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.8 −32%
Doctors' offices and clinics12.2 −40%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

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

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
12.2
40% below the median place
Public school students11
57,212
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools11
86
above the median place (median 9)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure86above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure57,212above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure14.18% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure17.615% below
Shops per 10k8County figure32.06% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.832% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure12.240% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k914.240% above
Playgrounds per 10k914.251% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure77above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 49.2 in, 12% 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 Arkwright. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
49.2 in
12% above the median place
Good air days14
55.1%
20% below the median place
Median air quality index14
48
12% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureArkwrightAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F4% above
January average low12County figure32°F25% above
Average temperature12County figure61°F11% above
Annual precipitation12County figure49.2 in12% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure90.72% below
Hurricane risk13County figure81.215% above
Tornado risk13County figure88.18% above
Wildfire risk13County figure59.53% below
Heat wave risk13County figure80.311% below
Median air quality index14County figure4812% above
Good air days14County figure55.1%20% below
08

Arkwright in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, up from 22% now.

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 rent$981/mo (2024)$1,280/mo$1,050 to $1,560/mo+4.5%
Median household income$53,519 (2024)$68,000$57,500 to $80,500+4.1%
Median home value$164,100 (2024)$261,000$189,000 to $359,000+8.0%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.1 now.

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

09

Places like Arkwright

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

PlaceRentIncome
Alton, TX$1,038$52,715Compare
Sunnyside, WA$1,026$60,923Compare
Orange Cove, CA$1,103$46,629Compare
Parlier, CA$1,105$52,357Compare
Parlier, CAOrange Cove, CASunnyside, WAAlton, TXArkwright, SCArkwrightAltonSunnysideOrange CoveParlierArkwrightAltonSunnysideOrange CoveParlier

Common questions

Is Arkwright a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 97% of the 2,473 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 South Carolina places. The median resident is 26.8 years old, younger than in 97% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 35 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Arkwright expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $164,100.

What salary do you need to live in Arkwright?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $39,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Arkwright?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Alton, TX, Sunnyside, WA, Orange Cove, CA and Parlier, CA.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  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 Arkwright with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Arkwright itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/arkwright-south-carolina

Citytistics. “Arkwright, South Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/arkwright-south-carolina/

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