29340 — Gaffney, South Carolina

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 29340. Its median home value runs 21% below Gaffney as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

51out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 24% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
Opportunity2,859th of 3,116 ZIP areas measured30
Schools2,384th of 3,047 ZIP areas measured27
GrowthTop 22% of 3,124 ZIP areas measured65
Housing affordabilityTop 23% of 3,112 ZIP areas measured77
ClimateTop 41% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured72
Physical resilience1,878th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured49
Access2,427th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured79
Economic stability3,017th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured17
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 5.5% and the Opportunity signal places 29340 in the bottom 8%. The unemployment rate is published for Gaffney, SC, which contains 29340, rather than for 29340 alone.

In the public schools here, 37% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.2 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 83 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 207% on the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Gaffney, SC, which contains 29340, rather than for 29340 alone.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
20,763
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$44,123
Bottom 9% nationally
Density
127/sq mi
163.4 sq mi of land
Median age
41.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Gaffney
South Carolina
Micro area
Nearest major airport
CLT
40 mi · Charlotte/Douglas Intl
Median home value
$108,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Gaffney, SC, which contains 29340, is 5.5% — higher than in all but 14% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Gaffney, SC, which contains 29340, grew 0.9% over the past year, to 21,583 employed residents.

Median household income of $44,123 is lower than in 91% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsCherokee County, SC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$46,1614th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftCherokee County, SC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$43,6002nd percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$6,8172024 ACS 5-Year$44,123Bottom 9%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,7632024 ACS 5-Year$25,113Bottom 13%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year22.9%Bottom 13%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±3.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year27.3 minTop 47%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year11.2%Bottom 15%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year84.9%82nd percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentGaffney, SC’s figureJuly 202621,583Bottom 22%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Gaffney, SC’s figureJuly 2026−1.2%Bottom 37%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Gaffney, SC’s figureJuly 2026+0.9%Top 18%of 3,127July 2026
Labor forceGaffney, SC’s figureJuly 202622,83422nd percentileof 3,127July 2026
Labor force participation ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year68.6%Bottom 21%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.1%62nd percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Gaffney, SC’s figureJuly 2026−1.6%Top 2%of 3,127July 2026
Unemployment rateGaffney, SC’s figureJuly 20265.5%Bottom 14%of 3,127July 2026
Worked from home ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year7.9%40th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202444k37k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $44,123 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Gaffney, SC, the city containing this ZIP code.

37% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 39% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.2 students for every full-time teacher across 5 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
5
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.2
across all schools here
Math proficiency
36.8%
Bottom 13% in South Carolina
Reading proficiency
39.0%
Bottom 14% in South Carolina
All 5 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Gaffney MiddleCherokee 0185112.528%33%
Cherokee Charter Academy · charterCharter Institute at Erskine63315.1——
John E. Ewing MiddleCherokee 0138012.334%37%
Corinth ElementaryCherokee 0129212.757%52%
Draytonville ElementaryCherokee 0126413.947%47%

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against South Carolina’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of South Carolina is up 59% over five years, and up 5.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $515 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.47% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $902, some 13% above the $798 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $902 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $36,100 a year, about 82% of the median household income here of $44,123.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $798 a month.

A median home at $108,800 costs 2.2 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $49,662, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
28.2%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.2×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$902
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$798
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$108,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 29340’s median household income of $44,123, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of South Carolina’s figure2026 Q2+5.1%81st percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of South Carolina’s figure2026 Q2+58.5%93rd percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of South Carolina’s figure2026 Q2+108.1%69th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year2.2Top 29%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year75.8%42nd percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±4742024 ACS 5-Year9,57683rd percentileof 33,4602024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$795Top 9%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,135Top 2%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$902Top 2%of 3,031FY2026
Median gross rent ±$1032024 ACS 5-Year$798Top 24%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$8,2092024 ACS 5-Year$108,80013th percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$492024 ACS 5-Year$5154th percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$5,6932024 ACS 5-Year$49,662Bottom 8%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year0.47%11th percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year28.2%Top 49%of 26,2472024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±262024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 32,9612024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year15.1%83rd percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±3472024 ACS 5-Year1,44593rd percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

65/ 100
Top 22% of 3,124 published ZIP profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

At 6.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Gaffney, SC, which contains 29340, rather than for 29340 alone.

Units permitted
83
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.6
Top 23% nationally
Year over year
+207%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
37.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
+1.3%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
50%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$46,161
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$43,600
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Spartanburg County, SC 812 people · 31% of arrivals
  2. Cleveland County, NC 225 people · 8.5% of arrivals
  3. York County, SC 213 people · 8.0% of arrivals
  4. Gaston County, NC 129 people · 4.9% of arrivals
  5. Greenville County, SC 89 people · 3.4% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Spartanburg County, SC 749 people · 35% of departures
  2. Cleveland County, NC 165 people · 7.8% of departures
  3. Greenville County, SC 118 people · 5.6% of departures
  4. York County, SC 103 people · 4.9% of departures
  5. Gaston County, NC 69 people · 3.3% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Cherokee County, SC. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Gaffney, SC, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 33°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 43.3 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GASTONIA MUNI AP, 28.8 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals43.3"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals33°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals91°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals38°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

49 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 51% of it. Tornado is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Ice stormElevated
Cold waveHigh
LightningModerate
EarthquakeElevated
Inland floodingModerate
HurricaneModerate
LandslideModerate
HailModerate

Low or minimal exposure: tornado, strong wind, heat wave, drought, wildfire, winter weather, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Homicide
9.4
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
22.9
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
28.2
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
28.2
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 29340 (Cherokee County) rather than 29340 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Gaffney carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Charlotte/Douglas Intl at 40 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year78.2%Bottom 14%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle40 miBottom 21%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 40%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year18.6%Bottom 13%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Charlotte/Douglas IntlCLT40 mi10,000 ft
Donaldson FldGYH47 mi8,000 ft
Asheville RgnlAVL63 mi8,002 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
51
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

29340 vs Gaffney

How this ZIP area compares with Gaffney as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.

29340
Gaffney
Median household income: 29340 is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$44,123
vs
$41,089
Per capita income: 29340 is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$25,113
vs
$21,994
Population density
127/sq mi
vs
1,389/sq mi
Median home value
$108,800
vs
$137,700
Median gross rent: 29340 is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$798
vs
$887
Homeownership rate
75.8%
vs
50.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: Gaffney is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
11.2%
vs
23.1%
Poverty rate: 29340 is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
22.9%
vs
27.2%
Median age
41.4
vs
31.9

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.