Fort Mill vs Nolensville

Which is the better fit for you?

Fort Mill, SC
81
Area Score
Top 1% nationally
Nolensville, TN
80
Area Score
Top 1% nationally

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Fort Mill receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Fort Mill to Nolensville

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 97.0 against 97.3 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$789 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,590 in Nolensville against $1,801 in Fort Mill.
The median home
60% more
$777,800 in Nolensville against $487,500 in Fort Mill.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F colder
Normal January lows are 30°F in Nolensville against 31°F in Fort Mill; July highs are 91°F against 90°F (summers 1°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

35 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Fort Mill
Nolensville
Opportunity: Fort Mill is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
92 · Top 1%
vs
88 · Top 1%
Growth: Fort Mill is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
77 · Top 7%
vs
70 · Top 15%
Climate: Fort Mill is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
75 · Top 27%
vs
71 · Top 49%
Physical resilience: Fort Mill is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
74 · Top 32%
vs
72 · Top 33%
Housing affordability: Nolensville is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
63 · Bottom 41%
vs
74 · Top 28%
Schools: Nolensville is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
92 · Top 2%
vs
98 · Top 1%
Access: Nolensville is the more favorable of the two.
Access
96 · Top 33%
vs
97 · Top 31%
Economic stability: Nolensville is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
74 · Top 15%
vs
81 · Top 3%

Measured values

MetricFort MillNolensvilleSource period
Population30,77515,0742024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$121,823$177,148 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$54,005 ±$3,054$58,335 ±$5,0972024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,570/sq mi1,443/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$487,500$777,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,503 — more favorable$2,4542024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,801 — more favorable$2,590FY2026
Cost of living index97.397.0 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate83.4%93.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.4%2.8% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+3.2% — more favorable−0.3%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher57.6%66.6% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate4.4% ±2%2.3% ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)8619112 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents28.0 — more favorable6.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−15.8%+44.4%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low31°F30°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation42.4"50.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport14 mi9 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute28.5 min — more favorable35.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.437.32024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools1342024-25 school year
Math proficiency76.6%63.7%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency74.9%67.4%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

South Carolina and Tennessee do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Fort Mill

Elevated or high exposure: ice storm, cold wave.

Nolensville

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Fort Mill
—
Fort Mill: Your Score
81
Area Score
Nolensville
—
Nolensville: Your Score
80
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Fort Mill, SC · Nolensville, TN · How this is calculated: methodology