Metro area · South Carolina
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC is a metropolitan area of 4 counties in South Carolina, home to 1,014,101 residents. Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area has a quality-of-life score of 60 out of 100 (high), ranking #368 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in South Carolina it ranks #3 of 14. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), mammography screening (high) and distance to an airport (low). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and drought exposure (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #368 of 925 metro and micro areas
- South Carolina
- #3 of 14 in SC
- Population
- 1,014,101 (2025)
- Land area
- 2,710 mi²
- Density
- 374.3 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 24860
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety20#741/924
- Economy59#377/925
- Housing49#473/925
- Health59#383/925
- Healthcare74#244/923
- Environment39#563/917
- Education67#309/925
- Infrastructure65#329/925
- Community63#346/925
- Leisure & amenities72#262/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- New homes permitted · high8.2 /1k92/100South Carolina 8.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
- Mammography screening · high55.2%90/100South Carolina 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Distance to an airport · low19 mi87/100South Carolina 24 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Primary care physicians · high91 /100k87/100South Carolina 68 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Effective property tax rate · low0.49%
- Flu vaccinations · high50.4%85/100South Carolina 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Public libraries · low0.3 /10k14/100South Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.6 µg/m³16/100South Carolina 8.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
- Drought exposure · high76%19/100South Carolina 72%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
- Median Air Quality Index · high48
- Injury deaths · high114 /100k21/100South Carolina 111 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.471
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- PopulationRising
930,749 (2020) → 1,014,101 (2025)
+9%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 76% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+76 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
18.9% (2020 & 2021) → 29.5% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
44.6 /100k (2021) → 21.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.3% (2015-2019) → 90.3% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Property crime rateImproving
2,801 /100k (2020) → 1,535 /100k (2025)
−45%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
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.
Metro and micro areas like Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Greenville72,935
- Greer41,536
- Anderson30,051
- Mauldin27,055
- Simpsonville26,144
- Easley24,841
- Taylors24,505
- Wade Hampton20,898
- Five Forks18,656
- Clemson18,072
- Berea16,862
- Gantt15,401
- Parker12,898
- Fountain Inn12,020
- Powdersville10,771
- Laurens9,336
- Travelers Rest8,370
- Clinton7,676
- Sans Souci7,665
- Centerville7,049
- Clemson University7,015
- Homeland Park6,632
- Welcome6,527
- Piedmont5,462
Other metro and micro areas in South Carolina
Areas based in South Carolina, best score first.
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Columbia, SC54Alike on New homes, Comfortable days, Smoking
- Winston-Salem, NC51Alike on Density, Injury deaths, Intl. migration
- Greensboro-High Point, NC53Alike on Libraries, Density, Injury deaths
- Spartanburg, SC29Alike on Comfortable days, Drought, Mammography
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC75Alike on Domestic migration, New homes, Population
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08