Census-designated place · Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Arkwright, South Carolina

Arkwright is a census-designated place in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, part of the Spartanburg, SC metro area. It has 2,816 residents. Arkwright, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 14 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,538 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #190 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), effective property tax rate (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on bachelor's degree or higher (low), food insecurity (high) and unemployment rate (high).

14Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,538 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #190 of 268 in SC
Population: 2,816 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,089.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4502530

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
Economy17#13,017/15,631
Housing42#8,685/14,977
Health15#13,261/15,609
Healthcare26#11,552/15,650
Environment61#6,005/15,453
Education23#12,103/15,649
Infrastructure31#10,738/15,650
Community24#11,972/15,651
Leisure & amenities24#11,918/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arkwright, 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
Effective property tax rate · low0.50%
87/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
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
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

Bachelor's degree or higher · low9.2%
6/100South Carolina 32.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Food insecurity · high31.4%
7/100South Carolina 18.3%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Unemployment rate · high11.1%
7/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Adult obesity · high43.6%
8/100South Carolina 38.3%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · high34.8%
9/100South Carolina 28.8%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high37.2%
9/100South 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.

PopulationRising
2,493 (2016-2020) → 2,816 (2020-2024)
+13%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
65.3% (2016-2020) → 45.6% (2020-2024)
−20 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
20.6% (2016-2020) → 37.2% (2020-2024)
+17 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.8× (2016-2020) → 3.1× (2020-2024)
+72%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.3% (2016-2020) → 88.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
40.1% (2016-2020) → 27.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 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.

There is not enough history to compare Arkwright, South Carolina over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arkwright, 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.

No place that looked like Arkwright, South Carolina five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

2,816 residents (±598)

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

† 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

2,816 residents (±598)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White24%685
Black49%1,371
Hispanic or Latino21%†598

Education

1,573 residents (±289)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma13%†206
High school or GED44%688
Some college29%†458

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

978 households (±174)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k21%†201
$25k–50k26%†255
$50k–75k21%†210
$75k–100k17%†168
$100k–150k13%†130
$150k–200k0.7%†7
$200k or more0.7%†7

† 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

978 households (±174)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own50%†487
Rent50%491

† 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

480 households (±123)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75034%†161
$750–1,00018%†87
$1,000–1,50034%†163

Home values

487 homes (±158)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k47%†230
$150k–250k35%†171
$250k–400k18%†86

Age of homes

1,057 homes (±184)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later6.4%†68
2000–200913%†137
1980–199931%†328

Size of homes

1,057 homes (±184)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio1.6%†17
1 bedroom5.6%†59
2 bedrooms23%†239

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

1,205 workers (±292)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone79%953
Carpool18%†214
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.2%†38
Other0.0%0

† 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

1,167 workers (±294)

Arkwright, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min37%†430
15–29 min31%†367
30–44 min23%†272

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 Arkwright'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 $7,005 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Arkwright, South Carolina: $2.49 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7,005; −41% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.49; US $1,994
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Public Buildings Service$6,16188%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$84412%

Top recipients

CORG MANAGEMENT GROUP LLC$5,58480%
MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, INC.$84412%
TK ELEVATOR CORP$5778.2%

Spending by fiscal year

8.6KFY2017
32.3KFY2018
15.8KFY2019
-2KFY2020
9.4KFY2021
10.4KFY2022
16.6KFY2023
7.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$5,58480%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$84412%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$5778.2%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Arkwright, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Arkwright, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Spartanburg County, SC ($68.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Arkwright 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.

Arkwright, 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/4502530

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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