Census-designated place · Aiken County, South Carolina

Clearwater, South Carolina

Clearwater is a census-designated place in Aiken County, South Carolina, part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area. It has 3,319 residents. Clearwater, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 23 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,977 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #129 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), effective property tax rate (low) and days with unhealthy air (low). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), unemployment rate (high) and bachelor's degree or higher (low).

23Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,977 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #129 of 268 in SC
Population: 3,319 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 791.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 4514860

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.

Safety9#14,240/15,637
Economy22#12,192/15,631
Housing78#3,248/14,977
Health13#13,590/15,609
Healthcare14#13,392/15,650
Environment63#5,671/15,453
Education18#12,768/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,498/15,650
Community40#9,407/15,651
Leisure & amenities44#8,799/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clearwater, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Aiken 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

Rent as share of income · low18.2%
95/100South Carolina 31.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Effective property tax rate · low0.47%
89/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAiken County value
Comfortable days · high31.1%
83/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAiken County value
Natural hazard risk · low12.1
81/100South Carolina 51.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencyAiken County value
Broadband subscriptions · high95.5%
78/100South Carolina 88.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100South Carolina 15.5United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAiken County value
Unemployment rate · high11.5%
6/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.8%
8/100South Carolina 32.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Drug overdose deaths · high30.5 /100k
9/100South Carolina 22.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataAiken County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100South Carolina 3.4United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAiken County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high19.0%
11/100South Carolina 11.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,264 (2015-2019) → 3,319 (2020-2024)
−22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
65.6% (2015-2019) → 33.7% (2020-2024)
−32 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
42.3% (2015-2019) → 13.9% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
70.0% (2015-2019) → 95.5% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$29,786 (2015-2019) → $51,731 (2020-2024)
+74%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
32.6% (2015-2019) → 18.2% (2020-2024)
−14 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, Clearwater, South Carolina improved on 5 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 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.

Improved5

Uninsured−13 points32.5% → 19.0%
Rent burden−32 points65.6% → 33.7%
Rent / income−14 points32.6% → 18.2%
Household income+74%$29,786 → $51,731
Broadband+25 points70.0% → 95.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Clearwater, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.8 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	+3.0 min	Within the margin of error	20%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.9%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	70.0%2015-2019	95.5%2020-2024	+25 points	Improved	96%
High school diploma or higher	84.4%2015-2019	87.6%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.6×	Within the margin of error	94%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4202015-2019	0.3852020-2024	−0.036	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$29,7862015-2019	$51,7312020-2024	+74%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	29.6%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	32.6%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	97%
Rent-burdened households	65.6%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	−32 points	Improved	98%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	32.5%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	99%

“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 Clearwater, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clearwater, 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, Clearwater, South Carolina itself moved +30.2 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

3,319 residents (±545)

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: Under 10 men (−5.7 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

3,319 residents (±545)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White53%1,748
Black14%†453
Hispanic or Latino24%†800

Education

2,218 residents (±366)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma12%†275
High school or GED41%909
Some college31%†689

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

1,416 households (±220)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k19%†265
$25k–50k29%†416
$50k–75k19%†265
$75k–100k15%†213
$100k–150k6.6%†94
$150k–200k12%†163
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−14.0 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

1,416 households (±220)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own58%815
Rent42%†601

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

570 households (±191)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75052%†296
$750–1,00017%†96
$1,000–1,50015%†

Home values

815 homes (±150)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k46%†373
$150k–250k44%†355
$250k–400k9.8%†80

Age of homes

1,652 homes (±204)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later16%†260
2000–20094.8%†79
1980–199925%†

Size of homes

1,652 homes (±204)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio0.5%†9
1 bedroom7.0%†116
2 bedrooms40%†655

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

1,623 workers (±315)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone68%1,109
Carpool22%†351
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.7%†12
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.3%†151
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−16.4 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,472 workers (±309)

Clearwater, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min26%†388
15–29 min35%†519
30–44 min18%†259

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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-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 Aiken County, the county holding most of Clearwater's residents.

Aiken County has 3,067 employer establishments, 174 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.76× South Carolina's), with 54,369 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,280. The Census Bureau also counts 14,719 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,067; 14,719 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 174; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 54,369
Average annual pay: $60,280; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	266	15.1	0.82×About typical	5,271	$18,401	73
Ambulatory health care services	252	14.3	0.69×Fewer than typical	2,664	$69,025	702
Specialty trade contractors	193	10.9	0.71×Fewer than typical	1,173	$53,829	1,257
Limited-service restaurants	138	7.8	0.98×About typical	2,953	$16,873	32
Religious organizations	135	7.7	1.38×More than typical	1,139	$22,443	—
Full-service restaurants	112	6.4	0.83×About typical	2,032	$21,080	28
Lessors of real estate	111	6.3	0.51×Fewer than typical	269	$51,245	1,089
Services to buildings and dwellings	94	5.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	645	$44,144	1,403
Gasoline stations	87	4.9	1.52×More than typical	707	$26,054	3
Building equipment contractors	86	4.9	0.81×About typical	636	$54,409	201
Construction of buildings	69	3.9	0.52×Fewer than typical	477	$69,478	511
Offices of other health practitioners	68	3.9	0.63×Fewer than typical	280	$45,825	213

Rank places for an industry Open Aiken County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 176,336 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 $251.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clearwater, South Carolina: $75.77 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $251.5K; −41% vs FY2025
Per resident: $75.77; US $2,008
Sole-source: 11%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.9%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$238.8K95%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$10.8K4.3%
Bureau of the Fiscal Service$1,2010.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$7610.3%

Top recipients

PAULA F PRICE ENTERPRISES LLC$243.6K97%
PERFORMANCE MEDICAL SUPPLY INC.$5,9252.4%
TFE, INC$1,2010.5%
LIVELYS COLLISION CENTER LLC$7610.3%

Spending by fiscal year

44.4KFY2017
64.4KFY2018
44.7KFY2019
43.9KFY2020
119.5KFY2021
188.4KFY2022
344.8KFY2023
671.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$223.2K89%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$16.4K6.5%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$5,9252.4%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$2,3020.9%
Boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing · 3324$1,6820.7%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$1,2010.5%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 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 Clearwater, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Clearwater, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Aiken County, SC ($4.9B 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: Clearwater is mostly in Aiken County.

See federal money in Aiken 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.

Clearwater, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Joe WilsonR-SC-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 5.5%

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.

Aiken County50100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC29

Other cities and towns in Aiken 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/4514860

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends