Living in Spartanburg, SC
Small city in South Carolina
Spartanburg is a small city in South Carolina, home to about 39,000 people, with 497,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Spartanburg a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $220k and rents for $1,440 a month
- Dog-friendly: 21 dog parks within 9 mi
- Strong healthcare: 7 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Low taxes: about $1,296 state income tax per resident, 0.79% property tax
👎 Cons
- Higher crime: violent crime is 3.1× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Smaller job market: about 497,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer graduates: 33% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Spartanburg ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Spartanburg: common questions
What is the cost of living in Spartanburg?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $220k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,440 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 91, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Spartanburg?
South Carolina collects about $1,296 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.79% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Spartanburg safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (3.1× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Spartanburg?
Public schools in Spartanburg test below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 13 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Spartanburg?
Spartanburg has mild winters: winter days average around 56°F and summer days around 89°F.
Does Spartanburg get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.46 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Spartanburg?
The nearest major airport is CLT, about 58 mi away.
How Spartanburg scores
Each bar compares Spartanburg with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Spartanburg
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in South Carolina.
Is Spartanburg right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.