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Fletcher, NC vs Lake Murray of Richland, SC

Fletcher

North Carolina

vs

Lake Murray of Richland

South Carolina

Across 36 directional measures we can compare, Fletcher leads on 21 and Lake Murray of Richland on 15. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 31% higher in Lake Murray of Richland, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,484$1,944
Fletcher is 24% lower
Median household income
$75,272$119,107
Fletcher is 37% lower
Median home value
$331,100$422,100
Fletcher is 22% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $59,100 a year left in Fletcher and $99,200 in Lake Murray of Richland. Money goes further in Lake Murray of Richland, by about $40,000 a year.
  • A household earning Fletcher's median of $75,272 would need about $80,500 in Lake Murray of Richland to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 2.8 points a year in Fletcher, and rent outran pay by 4.0 points a year in Lake Murray of Richland.

How these are calculated

North CarolinaSouth CarolinaLake Murray of Richland, SCFletcher, NCFletcherLake Murray of RichlandFletcher

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Fletcher, NCComposite 51.0 / 100
54
31636564593443
02Lake Murray of Richland, SCComposite 44.2 / 100
35
575384n/a415n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureFletcherLake Murray of RichlandAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,484$1,944
Rent to income123.7%19.6%
Property tax rate10.6%0.7%
Home price to income14.4x3.5x
Prices vs US average296.593.7
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,866$1,226
HUD area median income4$103,200$92,400
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$1,964$2,774
Median home value1$331,100$422,100
Home prices, 1-year change5-0.0%3.1%
Home prices, 5-year change557.5%54.1%
Homeownership185.3%82.7%
Renters paying 30%+148.5%41.4%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,455$2,040
Vacant homes112.0%10.5%
Median year built120012004
Jobs and income
Median household income1$75,272$119,107
Income per person1$37,486$58,060
Unemployment13.5%6.5%
Average annual pay6$56,515$65,125
Pay growth, 1 year64.5%3.7%
Jobs643,873229,383
Poverty rate17.6%17.2%
Mean commute124 min37 min
Works from home111.1%16.0%
Commutes by transit10.0%0.0%
People
Population18,0987,023
Population change since 202075.3%n/a
Median age141.746.5
Bachelor's or higher139.8%54.8%
High school or higher194.6%97.5%
Household size12.42.4
Born abroad110.3%6.0%
No health insurance110.9%8.7%
Homes with broadband192.1%98.5%
Moving
Moved here in the past year17.0%12.3%
Moved from another state12.5%6.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people89.43.1
Income of households moving in8$83,685$57,579
Income of households moving out8$68,894$58,569
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k917.320.1
Shops per 10k935.029.1
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k93.73.4
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k920.917.8
Child care centers per 10k91.42.0
Parks per 10k103.74.3
Playgrounds per 10k104.98.5
Grocery stores per 10k102.51.4
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k109.98.5
Libraries per 10k102.50.0
Named paths and bike trails100.00.0
Transit stops per sq mi100.00.0
Nearest National Park Service site119.236.2
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1152
National Register listings123196
Safety
Violent crime per 100k1324n/a
Property crime per 100k131,670n/a
Schools
Public schools143102
Public school students141,69660,410
Students per teacher1414.913.3
Climate
July average high1582°F92°F
January average low1528°F34°F
Average temperature1556°F64°F
Annual precipitation1559.5 in45.5 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1683.893.1
Hurricane risk1670.494.4
Tornado risk1680.695.0
Wildfire risk1645.369.7
Heat wave risk162.594.7
Median air quality index174547
Good air days1769.9%58.1%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Fletcher $59,360, Lake Murray of Richland $77,760 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 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
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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