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Cost of living, pay and housing

34.29° N · 82.59° W · GEOID 4539512

Lake Secession

Abbeville County, South Carolina · part of the Greenwood, SC metro

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

South CarolinaLake Secession, SCLake SecessionLake Secession

The short answer

Lake Secession is home to 1,268 people. Median household income is $52,935 a year and median rent is $889 a month, 20.2% 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 $382,600, about 7.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$889
35% below the median place
Median household income
$52,935
34% below the median place
Median home value
$382,600
20% above the median place
Unemployment
4.0%
18% below 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 Lake Secession

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 84 South Carolina places.
  • 95% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • The median home is worth 7.2 years of the median household's income, more than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 101 South Carolina places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,162 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 90% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 100 South Carolina places.
  • 33% of homes stand vacant, more than in 95% of places its size.
01

Moving to Lake Secession

Abbeville County gains about 12.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,272
Moved out1,043
Net+229

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within South Carolina, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within South CarolinaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$54K
Leavers$46K

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

Who moves here
5.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Abbeville County report $54,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $46,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$35,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $889 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,051 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $382,600.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 9.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Spencer, MA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out6
$46,260
34% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
12.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.6%2% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure12.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$54,25223% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$46,26034% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 32.5%, 360% above the median place.

Lake Secession20.2%
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
$35,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.2%
1% below the median place
Home price to income
7.2x
90% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$42,300
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Secession, $889 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake Secession, 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
Lake City, MN14.5% vs 20.2%n/aCompare
Swoyersville, PA12.5% vs 20.2%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Secession? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
32.5%
360% above the median place
Homeownership1
94.5%
42% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.3%
63% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$88935% below
Rent to income120.2%1% below
Property tax rate10.3%63% below
Home price to income17.2x90% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$88545% below
HUD area median income3County figure$73,20032% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,28661% below
Median home value1$382,60020% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.8%13% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure56.7%10% above
Homeownership194.5%42% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure41.9%17% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,05110% above
Vacant homes132.5%360% above
Median year built119931% 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%)
Mean commute1
29 min
17% above the median place
Poverty rate1
7.0%
35% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$52,93534% below
Income per person1$42,1885% above
Unemployment1County figure4.0%18% below
Average annual pay5County figure$51,85521% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure5,58196% below
Poverty rate17.0%35% below
Mean commute129 min17% above
Works from home19.0%28% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
75.4%
18% below the median place
Median age1
52.9
36% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.0 −18%
High school or higher96.9% +5%
Bachelor's or higher22.1% −31%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2686646th largest
Median age152.936% above
Bachelor's or higher122.1%31% below
High school or higher196.9%5% above
Household size12.018% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure10.1%58% above
Homes with broadband175.4%18% below
05

Life in Lake Secession

16 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
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 bars12.7 −39%
Shops26.6 −12%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.6 −61%
Doctors' offices and clinics5.3 −74%
Child care centers1.2 −48%

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

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
5.3
74% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
1.6
61% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k7
1.2
48% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure1011% above
Public school students10County figure2,90541% below
Students per teacher10County figure12.718% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure12.739% below
Shops per 10k7County figure26.612% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure1.661% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure5.374% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.248% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure1623% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 45.4, 51% below 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 Lake Secession. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk12
45.4
51% below the median place
July average high11
91°F
5% above the median place
Average temperature11
62°F
13% above the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake SecessionAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure91°F5% above
January average low11County figure33°F32% above
Average temperature11County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation11County figure46.9 in7% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure45.451% below
Hurricane risk12County figure64.39% below
Tornado risk12County figure66.319% below
Wildfire risk12County figure39.835% below
Heat wave risk12County figure74.817% below
08

Lake Secession in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% 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$889/mo (2024)$1,140/mo$940 to $1,390/mo+4.3%
Median household income$51,875 (2024)$66,500$56,500 to $79,000+4.3%
Median home value$382,600 (2024)$577,000$419,000 to $795,000+7.1%

The median home would be worth 8.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.4 now.

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

09

Places like Lake Secession

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

PlaceRentIncome
Spencer, MA$1,049$59,931Compare
Hamilton, MT$947$49,204Compare
Cottonwood, AZ$1,120$48,448Compare
Chino Valley, AZ$1,248$61,237Compare
Chino Valley, AZCottonwood, AZHamilton, MTSpencer, MALake Secession, SCLake SecessionSpencerHamiltonCottonwoodChino ValleyLake SecessionSpencerHamiltonCottonwoodChino Valley

Common questions

Is Lake Secession a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 84 South Carolina places. 95% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 101 South Carolina places. On cost, space and class size it scores 44 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Secession expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.2% 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 $382,600.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Secession?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Secession?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Spencer, MA, Hamilton, MT, Cottonwood, AZ and Chino Valley, AZ.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

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 Lake Secession with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Secession itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-secession-south-carolina

Citytistics. “Lake Secession, South Carolina.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-secession-south-carolina/

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