Census-designated place · Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Arcadia, South Carolina

Arcadia is a census-designated place in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, part of the Spartanburg, SC metro area. It has 3,426 residents. Arcadia, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 14 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,389 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #184 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), job growth (high) and drinking water violations (low). It ranks worst on uninsured residents (under 65) (high), physical inactivity (high) and food insecurity (high).

14Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,389 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #184 of 268 in SC
Population: 3,426 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,747.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4502080

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety11#13,936/15,637
Economy19#12,626/15,631
Housing41#8,857/14,977
Health22#12,150/15,609
Healthcare25#11,795/15,650
Environment61#6,005/15,453
Education25#11,747/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,791/15,650
Community29#11,097/15,651
Leisure & amenities24#11,918/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arcadia, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Spartanburg County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high54.0%
88/100South Carolina 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpartanburg County value
Job growth · high1.7%
86/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSpartanburg County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100South Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSpartanburg County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.1×
85/100South Carolina 3.7×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySpartanburg County value
Comfortable days · high30.8%
82/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSpartanburg County value

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high23.6%
6/100South Carolina 11.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Physical inactivity · high34.4%
10/100South Carolina 28.8%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · high27.9%
11/100South Carolina 18.3%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100South Carolina 15.5United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSpartanburg County value
Poor or fair health · high26.5%
13/100South Carolina 22.0%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high29.3%
14/100South Carolina 18.1%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
39.0% (2015-2019) → 63.1% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$29,577 (2015-2019) → $55,218 (2020-2024)
+87%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherWorsening
80.3% (2015-2019) → 68.4% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
40.9% (2015-2019) → 29.3% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.4× (2015-2019) → 2.1× (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.7% (2015-2019) → 34.0% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Arcadia, South Carolina improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+87%$29,577 → $55,218

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Arcadia, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.3 min2015-2019	20.5 min2020-2024	−2.8 min	Within the margin of error	78%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.0%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	74.0%2015-2019	82.7%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Child poverty rate	40.9%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	85%
High school diploma or higher	80.3%2015-2019	68.4%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3522015-2019	0.4132020-2024	+0.061	Within the margin of error	12%
Median household income	$29,5772015-2019	$55,2182020-2024	+87%	Improved	97%
Poverty rate	24.3%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.7%2015-2019	34.0%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Rent-burdened households	39.0%2015-2019	63.1%2020-2024	+24 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	25.0%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Arcadia, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arcadia, South Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Arcadia, South Carolina itself moved −16.4 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,426 residents (±757)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 men (+8.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,426 residents (±757)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White29%†1,006
Black20%†673
Hispanic or Latino40%†

Education

2,067 residents (±453)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma32%†654
High school or GED25%†521
Some college

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,165 households (±227)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k25%†297
$25k–50k19%†217
$50k–75k21%†250
$75k–100k17%†196
$100k–150k14%†161
$150k–200k1.2%†14
$200k or more2.6%†30

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−19.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,165 households (±227)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own28%†332
Rent72%833

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

801 households (±225)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75010%†82
$750–1,0004.4%†35
$1,000–1,50065%†521

Home values

332 homes (±122)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k61%†201
$150k–250k39%†131
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

1,608 homes (±246)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later24%†388
2000–200925%†400
1980–199916%†250

Size of homes

1,608 homes (±246)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio2.6%†41
1 bedroom12%†197
2 bedrooms61%975

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,831 workers (±400)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone87%1,591
Carpool9.8%†180
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†15
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.5%†45
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−18.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,786 workers (±394)

Arcadia, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min40%†713
15–29 min40%†707
30–44 min12%†216

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Spartanburg, SC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Spartanburg County, the county holding most of Arcadia's residents.

Spartanburg County has 7,399 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.90× South Carolina's), with 150,332 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,430. The Census Bureau also counts 34,142 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,399; 34,142 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 150,332
Average annual pay: $56,430; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Spartanburg County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	548	15.3	0.83×About typical	11,441	$19,422	192
Specialty trade contractors	487	13.6	0.88×About typical	5,290	$67,178	2,587
Ambulatory health care services	423	11.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	5,699	$89,116	1,122
Religious organizations	343	9.6	1.72×More than typical	2,329	$22,801	—
Lessors of real estate	274	7.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	639	$53,745	2,434
Limited-service restaurants	255	7.1	0.89×About typical	5,851	$19,314	63
Full-service restaurants	243	6.8	0.88×About typical	4,873	$20,029	82
Truck transportation	241	6.7	1.33×More than typical	3,050	$66,419	2,231
Services to buildings and dwellings	206	5.7	0.85×About typical	1,623	$36,821	2,584
Automotive repair and maintenance	187	5.2	1.03×About typical	1,221	$42,907	886
Building equipment contractors	187	5.2	0.87×About typical	2,046	$63,166	554
Construction of buildings	162	4.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	1,059	$82,684	1,668

Rank places for an industry Open Spartanburg County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 358,924 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $2.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Arcadia, South Carolina: $729 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $2.5M; +74% vs FY2025
Per resident: $729; US $1,995
Sole-source: 73%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

198.2KFY2017
2.8MFY2018
339.6KFY2019
1.4MFY2020
713.3KFY2021
1.5MFY2022
2.4MFY2023
2.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$1.6M65%
Converted paper product manufacturing · 3222$854.3K34%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$10.4K0.4%
Rubber product manufacturing · 3262$9,1460.4%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$5,9650.2%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$5,168

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Arcadia, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Arcadia, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Spartanburg County, SC ($68.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 3.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Arcadia is mostly in Spartanburg County.

See federal money in Spartanburg County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Arcadia, South Carolina is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Spartanburg County43100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Spartanburg, SC29

Other cities and towns in Spartanburg County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4502080

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends