Census-designated place · Pickens County, South Carolina

Clemson University, South Carolina

Clemson University is a census-designated place in Pickens County, South Carolina, part of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area. It has 7,015 residents. Clemson University, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 37 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,817 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #86 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), job growth (high) and drinking water violations (low). It ranks worst on poverty rate (high), unemployment rate (high) and lack of reliable transportation (high).

37Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,817 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #86 of 268 in SC
Population: 7,015 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 3,313.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4515040

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 68 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.

Safety45#8,575/15,637
Economy8#14,375/15,631
Housing—
Health21#12,277/15,609
Healthcare51#7,659/15,650
Environment74#4,025/15,453
Education69#4,816/15,649
Infrastructure36#9,973/15,650
Community33#10,512/15,651
Leisure & amenities52#7,561/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low14.0 min
95/100South Carolina 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Job growth · high2.0%
88/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPickens County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100South Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePickens County value
Mammography screening · high53.0%
85/100South Carolina 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePickens County value
Comfortable days · high31.1%
83/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPickens County value
Loneliness · low32.7%
81/100South Carolina 32.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Poverty rate · high74.7%
0/100South Carolina 13.3%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Unemployment rate · high15.0%
3/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Lack of reliable transportation · high14.3%
11/100South Carolina 9.1%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Dental care shortage · high17.0
12/100South Carolina 9.2United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPickens County value
Food insecurity · high26.8%
12/100South Carolina 18.3%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food environment index · low6.9
13/100South Carolina 6.5United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePickens County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,329 (2016-2020) → 7,015 (2020-2024)
+32%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
43.4% (2016-2020) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+57 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.9% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
49.1% (2016-2020) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+51 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.5% → 89.6%
Broadband subscriptionsWorsening
50.0% (2016-2020) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−50 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateImproving
31.1% (2016-2020) → 15.0% (2020-2024)
−16 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
70.6% (2016-2020) → 74.7% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%

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 Clemson University, South Carolina over five years.

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

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clemson University, 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 Clemson University, 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

7,015 residents (±161)

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

7,015 residents (±161)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White83%5,822
Black9.4%656
Hispanic or Latino4.3%†301

Education

5 residents (±8)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma0.0%0
High school or GED0.0%0
Some college0.0%0

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

25 households (±34)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k0.0%0
$25k–50k100%†25
$50k–75k0.0%0
$75k–100k0.0%0
$100k–150k0.0%0
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more0.0%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 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

25 households (±34)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%†25

† 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

Age of homes

54 homes (±49)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20090.0%0
1980–199928%†15

Size of homes

54 homes (±49)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio28%†15
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms72%†39

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

1,429 workers (±233)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone55%786
Carpool4.6%†66
Public transit0.0%0
Walk28%†393
Bike0.0%0
Work from home10%†147
Other2.6%†37

† 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

1,282 workers (±217)

Clemson University, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min63%805
15–29 min26%†328
30–44 min9.0%†116

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 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, 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 Pickens County, the county holding most of Clemson University's residents.

Pickens County has 2,254 employer establishments, 165 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.72× South Carolina's), with 28,852 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,893. The Census Bureau also counts 10,446 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,254; 10,446 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 165; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 28,852
Average annual pay: $40,893; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	236	17.3	0.94×About typical	4,627	$16,935	40
Specialty trade contractors	206	15.1	0.97×About typical	862	$52,316	989
Ambulatory health care services	141	10.3	0.50×Fewer than typical	1,055	$69,844	300
Religious organizations	127	9.3	1.68×More than typical	1,131	$22,341	—
Limited-service restaurants	117	8.6	1.07×About typical	2,414	$15,937	8
Lessors of real estate	109	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	293	$45,652	950
Full-service restaurants	95	7	0.91×About typical	1,814	$18,155	24
Construction of buildings	80	5.9	0.77×Fewer than typical	272	$61,511	455
Services to buildings and dwellings	72	5.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	390	$35,469	942
Building equipment contractors	66	4.8	0.80×About typical	382	$55,901	219
Automotive repair and maintenance	63	4.6	0.92×About typical	278	$39,680	146
Other specialty trade contractors	61	4.5	1.78×More than typical	256	$48,980	299

Rank places for an industry Open Pickens County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 136,591 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 $229.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clemson University, South Carolina: $32.69 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $229.3K; −74% vs FY2025
Per resident: $32.69; US $2,007
Sole-source: 21%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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 the Navy$174.6K76%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$49.3K22%
Department of the Army$10.4K4.5%

Top recipients

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY$222.5K97%
PIP PROJECTS, INC.$6,8223.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.6MFY2017
561.3KFY2018
1.2MFY2019
924.9KFY2020
762.3KFY2021
1.2MFY2022
1.5MFY2023
2.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$174.6K76%
Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113$42.5K19%
RV parks and recreational camps · 7212$10.4K4.5%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$6,8223.0%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Clemson University, South Carolina

THIS CONTRACT IS A RESULT OF PROPOSAL SENT UNDER TIMBER CALL #1 RELATED TO BAA: FA805124S0001. DEVELOPMENT OF DE/RE-DEPLOYABLE MASS TIMBER TACTICAL SHELTER FOR ACE ENVIRONMENT.$843.2K
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY· Pickens County, SC· Research & development· Sep 30, 2024 – Feb 20, 2026· FA805124C0005
BAA NEED TOPIC NO. 6 - DEVELOPMENT OF A PRACTICAL MODELING PLATFORM FOR ASSESSING SALTWATER INTRUSION IMPACTS UNDER FUTURE SEA-LEVEL CHANGE SCENARIOS$842.2K
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY· Pickens County, SC· Research & development· Aug 25, 2022 – Nov 25, 2025· N3943022C2418
FORECASTING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS WITH AI U433D90$99.6K
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY· Pickens County, SC· Research & development· Aug 30, 2023 – Mar 11, 2026· W912HZ23P0122

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Clemson University, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Clemson University, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Pickens County, SC ($17.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Pickens 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.

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

House

Sheri BiggsR-SC-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.0%

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.

Pickens County47100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC60

Other cities and towns in Pickens 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/4515040

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

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