CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.81° N · 82.47° W · GEOID 4575535

Welcome

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

South CarolinaWelcome, SCWelcomeWelcome

The short answer

Welcome is home to 6,527 people. Median household income is $66,094 a year and median rent is $1,103 a month, 20.0% 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 $206,300, about 3.1x annual median household income.

Welcome is defined by its growth. Household income growth is 12.7% a year, against 3.4% a year in its closest peers. Also notable: Rent took 25.9% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 20% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share fell 0.1 points on average, so affordability held up better here.

24OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Welcome scores better than 24% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 61st of 101 in South Carolina.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%63
Economy 20%39
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%30
Education 10%17
Commute 10%34
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,103
19% below the median place
Median household income
$66,094
18% below the median place
Median home value
$206,300
35% below the median place
Unemployment
5.1%
4% 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 Welcome

  • How it is changingHousehold income rose 12.7% a year while rent rose 7.1% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 90% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Welcome

Greenville County gains about 11.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in31,074
Moved out25,890
Net+5,184

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$74K
Leavers$66K

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

Who moves here
6.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Greenville County report $74,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $66,100, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$44,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,103 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,429 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $206,300.
Getting to work
28 minutes each way on average; 14.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Du Quoin, IL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
11.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
3.7%
85% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.8%
18% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.8%18% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.7%85% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure11.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$74,3285% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$66,0926% below
02

What it costs to live here

Compared with the 14 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Coral Hills, MD, Chester, SC and Vinton, VA), money left after rent here is higher: $54,700 against a typical $42,100.

Welcome20.0%
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
$44,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.0%
2% below the median place
Home price to income
3.1x
18% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$54,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Welcome, $1,103 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Welcome, but easier on the budget

Places that match Welcome on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Du Quoin, IL9715.9% vs 20.0%n/aCompare
Tell City, IN9614.9% vs 20.0%n/aCompare
Somerdale, NJ9615.4% vs 20.0%$17,500Compare
Bonne Terre, MO9616.7% vs 20.0%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Welcome? 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
$1,296
60% below the median place
Vacant homes1
13.1%
85% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
31% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,10319% below
Rent to income120.0%2% below
Property tax rate10.6%31% below
Home price to income13.1x18% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.38% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,5077% below
HUD area median income4County figure$106,4001% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,29660% below
Median home value1$206,30035% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure61.2%19% above
Homeownership167.3%1% above
Renters paying 30%+142.0%17% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,42924% below
Vacant homes113.1%85% 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%)
Median household income1
$66,094
18% below the median place
Mean commute1
28 min
11% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$44,541 +11%
Poverty rate8.9% −18%
Unemployment5.1% +4%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$66,09418% below
Income per person1$44,54111% above
Unemployment15.1%4% above
Average annual pay6County figure$65,9670% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs6County figure302,324101% above
Poverty rate18.9%18% below
Mean commute128 min11% above
Works from home1County figure14.4%16% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 17.8%, 178% above the median place.

No health insurance1
17.8%
178% above the median place
High school or higher1
80.8%
13% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
86.2%
7% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher18.4% −43%
Household size2.4 −6%
Born abroad11.8% +33%
Median age39.1 +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population16,5275643rd largest
Median age139.10% above
Bachelor's or higher118.4%43% below
High school or higher180.8%13% below
Household size12.46% below
Born abroad111.8%33% above
No health insurance117.8%178% above
Homes with broadband186.2%7% below
05

Life in Welcome

OpenStreetMap shows 0 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 95% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 South Carolina places we track.

100 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k12.3 +30%
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +44%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9.2 −18%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.2 10.3×

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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site 31 miles
  • Cowpens National Battlefield 42 miles
  • Blue Ridge Parkway 52 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars24.4 +17%
Shops34.8 +15%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.6 +12%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.8 +3%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
30.9
0% above the median place
Public school students12
88,861
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools12
106
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure106above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure88,861above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure16.36% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure24.417% above
Shops per 10k8County figure34.815% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.612% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure20.83% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k912.330% above
Grocery stores per 10k93.144% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k99.218% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi92.2above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1030.90% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles104100% above
National Register listings11County figure100above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 54.6 in, 25% 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 Welcome. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation13
54.6 in
25% above the median place
Tornado risk14
96.6
19% above the median place
Good air days15
55.6%
19% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWelcomeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure88°F2% above
January average low13County figure32°F27% above
Average temperature13County figure60°F10% above
Annual precipitation13County figure54.6 in25% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure94.02% above
Hurricane risk14County figure83.018% above
Tornado risk14County figure96.619% above
Wildfire risk14County figure55.110% below
Heat wave risk14County figure83.37% below
Median air quality index15County figure479% above
Good air days15County figure55.6%19% below
08

Welcome in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 20% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 20% 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Welcome does better than 62% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 96%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,103/mo (2024)$1,430/mo$1,170 to $1,740/mo+4.4%
Median household income$66,094 (2024)$86,500$73,000 to $102,000+4.6%
Median home value$206,300 (2024)$314,000$228,000 to $432,000+7.2%

The median home would be worth 3.6 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 Welcome

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

PlaceRentIncome
Alsip, IL$1,140$66,585Compare
Latimer, MS$1,122$70,237Compare
Bridgeview, IL$1,177$66,655Compare
Steger, IL$1,076$66,575Compare
Steger, ILBridgeview, ILLatimer, MSAlsip, ILWelcome, SCWelcomeAlsipLatimerBridgeviewStegerWelcomeAlsipLatimerBridgeviewSteger

Places built like Welcome

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Welcome performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Welcome, SC20.0%12.7%/yrn/a
Coral Hills, MD31.3%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Chester, SC23.5%11.9%/yr0.9%Compare
Vinton, VA18.2%5.7%/yr-0.1%Compare
Belvedere, SC22.3%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Pulaski, VA17.8%-0.1%/yr-2.0%Compare
Perry, FL28.9%3.3%/yr6.9%Compare

Common questions

Is Welcome a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 24 out of 100, better than 24% of the places we rate and 61st of 101 in South Carolina. Household income rose 12.7% a year while rent rose 7.1% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 90% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 60 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Welcome expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.0% 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 $206,300.

What salary do you need to live in Welcome?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $44,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Welcome?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Alsip, IL, Latimer, MS, Bridgeview, IL and Steger, IL.

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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Welcome with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Welcome itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/welcome-south-carolina

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

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