29341 — Gaffney, South Carolina

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 29341. Its median household income runs 41% above Gaffney as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

55out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 37% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
Opportunity2,450th of 3,116 ZIP areas measured40
Schools2,310th of 3,047 ZIP areas measured30
GrowthTop 22% of 3,124 ZIP areas measured65
Housing affordabilityTop 14% of 3,112 ZIP areas measured80
ClimateTop 29% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured75
Physical resilience1,878th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured49
Access2,525th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured77
Economic stability2,496th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured34
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 5.5% and the Opportunity signal places 29341 in the bottom 21%. The unemployment rate is published for Gaffney, SC, which contains 29341, rather than for 29341 alone.

In the public schools here, 39% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.6 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 29341, rather than for 29341 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
20,647
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$58,029
Bottom 26% nationally
Density
222/sq mi
93.2 sq mi of land
Median age
37.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Gaffney
South Carolina
Micro area
Nearest major airport
CLT
43 mi · Charlotte/Douglas Intl
Median home value
$188,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Gaffney, SC, which contains 29341, is 5.5% — higher than in all but 14% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Gaffney, SC, which contains 29341, grew 0.9% over the past year, to 21,583 employed residents.

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 ±$5,1002024 ACS 5-Year$58,029Bottom 26%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,0322024 ACS 5-Year$27,943Bottom 20%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year15.6%Bottom 28%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year25.5 minTop 38%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year26.9%Top 41%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year82.4%75th 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 ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year75.0%Bottom 38%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%77th 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 ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year3.5%18th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202458k42k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $58,029 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.

39% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 50% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.6 students for every full-time teacher across 6 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.6
across 6 of them
Math proficiency
39.3%
Bottom 19% in South Carolina
Reading proficiency
50.0%
Bottom 32% in South Carolina
All 7 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Gaffney HighCherokee 011,82717.739%65%
B. D. Lee ElementaryCherokee 0160315.532%27%
Grassy Pond ElementaryCherokee 0151915.758%55%
Limestone-Central ElementaryCherokee 0143613.636%39%
Northwest ElementaryCherokee 0142314.157%50%
Luther L. Vaughan ElementaryCherokee 0139912.112%22%
Institute of InnovationCherokee 010———

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 $823 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.44% 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, close to the $917 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 62% of the median household income here of $58,029.

The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $917 a month.

A median home at $188,900 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $72,480, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
26.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.6×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$902
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$917
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$188,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 29341’s median household income of $58,029, 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 ±0.52024 ACS 5-Year2.6Top 46%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year70.1%29th percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5052024 ACS 5-Year8,66481st 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 ±$352024 ACS 5-Year$917Top 39%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$24,8772024 ACS 5-Year$188,90041st percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$692024 ACS 5-Year$82314th percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$10,7142024 ACS 5-Year$72,480Bottom 34%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year0.44%8th percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year26.7%Top 40%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-Year9.2%63rd percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2792024 ACS 5-Year79583rd 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 29341, rather than for 29341 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

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 27°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.3 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station NINETY NINE IS, 13.8 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals45.3"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals27°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 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 29341 (Cherokee County) rather than 29341 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 43 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year87.0%Bottom 39%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle43 miBottom 17%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 40%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year11.1%Bottom 34%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Charlotte/Douglas IntlCLT43 mi10,000 ft
Donaldson FldGYH45 mi8,000 ft
Asheville RgnlAVL52 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
55
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—

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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.

29341 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.

29341
Gaffney
Median household income: 29341 is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$58,029
vs
$41,089
Per capita income: 29341 is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$27,943
vs
$21,994
Population density
222/sq mi
vs
1,389/sq mi
Median home value
$188,900
vs
$137,700
Median gross rent: Gaffney is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$917
vs
$887
Homeownership rate
70.1%
vs
50.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 29341 is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
26.9%
vs
23.1%
Poverty rate: 29341 is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
15.6%
vs
27.2%
Median age
37.5
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.