Saluda County, South Carolina (SC)

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County population in July 2007: 18,748 (17% urban, 83% rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 5,745
Renter-occupied apartments: 1,382

% of renters here:	19%
State:	28%

Land area: 452 sq. mi.
Water area: 9.3 sq. mi.

Population density: 42 people per square mile

(average).

Residents with income below the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	15.6%
Whole state:	14.1%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	6.9%
Whole state:	6.5%

2008 cost of living index in Saluda County: 80.9 (low, U.S. average is 100)

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Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (30.1%), Educational,health and social services (14.2%), Retail trade (10.6%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 77%
Government: 14%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 9%
Unpaid family work: 0%

Saluda County, South Carolina business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Races in Saluda County, South Carolina:

White Non-Hispanic (62.2%)
Black (30.0%)
Hispanic (7.3%)
Other race (3.3%)
Two or more races (0.6%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)

Median resident age:	37.0 years
South Carolina median age:	35.4 years

Males: 9,523	(49.6%)
Females: 9,658	(50.4%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $21,894
County population in 2003: 19,046
Jobs in 2003: 5,155

Recent posts about Saluda County, South Carolina on our local forum with over 400,000 registered users:

	Charlotte or Columbia? (159 replies)
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Saluda County,SC real estate house value trend

Total labor force in 2004: 9,566
Unemployment rate in 2004: 7.5%

Average household size:

Saluda County:	2.6 people
South Carolina:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2005: $37,929 ($35,774 in 2000)

This county	$37,929
South Carolina:	$39,316

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $100,715

Saluda County	$100,715
South Carolina:	$113,100

Median monthly rent in 2000: $394
Institutionalized population: 218
Median monthly costs for houses with a mortgage in Saluda County in 2000: $715

Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 0
Rapes: 2
Robberies: 1
Assaults: 27
Burglaries: 32
Thefts: 104
Auto thefts: 9

Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 1
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 1
Assaults: 126
Burglaries: 31
Thefts: 67
Auto thefts: 4

Saluda County races chart

Single-family new house construction building permits:

2000: 47 buildings, average cost: $110,000
2001: 52 buildings, average cost: $135,900
2002: 51 buildings, average cost: $127,000
2003: 58 buildings, average cost: $132,800
2004: 48 buildings, average cost: $144,200
2005: 49 buildings, average cost: $149,500
2006: 42 buildings, average cost: $169,600

Number of permits per 10,000 residents

Average cost (in 1000s)

2004 Presidential Election results in Saluda County South Carolina:

Bush/Cheney (Republican): 59.9%
Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 39.6%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $473 (0.6%)

Area name: Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Saluda County is $567 a month.
Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $632 a month.
Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $781 a month.

Cities in this county include: Saluda, Ridge Spring, Ward, Saluda River.

Neighboring counties: Aiken County , Edgefield County , Greenwood County , Lexington County , Newberry County .

Click to draw/clear county borders

Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable locations in Saluda County: Persimmon Hill Country Club (A), Perrys Crossroads (B), Fruit Hill Community Center (C), Fair Haven Childrens Home (D), Richland Springs Community House (E), Delmar Community Center (F). Display/hide their locations on the map

Churches in Saluda County include: Hickory Grove Church (A), Poplar Branch Church (B), Pleasant Hill Church (C), Pine Pleasant Church (D), Holiness Tabernacle (E), Branch Hill Church (F), Philippi Church (G), Hopewell Church (H), Penn Creek Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Jones Cemetery (1), Mitchell Hill Cemetery (2), Nazareth Cemetery (3), Asbill Cemetery (4), Hill Cemetery (5), Bodie Cemetery (6), Carver Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map

Reservoirs: Adams Pond (A), Amicks Pond (B), Asbill Pond (C), Berrys Pond (D), Herlongs Pond (E), Boatwrights Pond (F), Fricks Pond (G), Burtons Pond (H). Display/hide their locations on the map

Streams, rivers, and creeks: Persimmon Creek (A), Moores Creek (B), Little Mine Creek (C), Spring Creek (D), Penn Creek (E), Mill Creek (F), Mack Branch (G), Poplar Branch (H), Mountain Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Unemployment in September 2007:

Here:	5.2%
South Carolina:	5.8%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

Current college students: 509
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 69.3%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 11.9%

Number of foreign born residents: 1,140 (6% naturalized citizens)

Saluda County:	5.9%
Whole state:	2.9%

Year of entry for the foreign-born population
	1995 to March 2000: 734 1990 to 1994: 281 1985 to 1989: 32 1980 to 1984: 33 1975 to 1979: 22 1970 to 1974: 11 1970 to 1974: 10 1965 to 1969: 17

Mean travel time to work: 32.1 minutes

Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 44.3%

Saluda County marital status for females

Housing units in structures:

One, detached: 5,746
One, attached: 55
Two: 92
3 or 4: 54
5 to 9: 78
20 or more: 2
Mobile homes: 2,495
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 21

Housing units in Saluda County with a mortgage: 1,850 (149 second mortgage, 207 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan)
Houses without a mortgage: 1,446

Agriculture in Saluda County
Average size of farms: 186 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $111565
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $236.71
The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.33%
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 91.39%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $76766
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 21.85%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 12.96%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $62705
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 92.16%
Average age of principal farm operators: 58 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 25.03
Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 4.99%
Corn for grain: 901 harvested acres
All wheat for grain: 841 harvested acres
Soybeans for beans: 206 harvested acres
Vegetables: 96 harvested acres
Land in orchards: 2819 acres

Saluda County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is slightly below South Carolina state average. It is 1.1 times above overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 2 fatalities and 12 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 3/13/1955, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado killed 2 people and injured 10 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males:

Construction (15%)
Food (11%)
Textile mills and textile products (8%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (8%)
Public administration (5%)
Truck transportation (4%)
Administrative and support and waste management services (3%)

Most common industries for females:

Textile mills and textile products (13%)
Health care (13%)
Educational services (10%)
Public administration (7%)
Accommodation and food services (6%)
Food (5%)
Finance and insurance (5%)

Most common occupations for males

Other production occupations including supervisors (15%)
Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (8%)
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (7%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (5%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Farmers and farm managers (3%)

Most common occupations for females

Other production occupations including supervisors (8%)
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers (8%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (5%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (4%)
Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Cashiers (4%)

Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents:

Mexico (57%)
Guatemala (35%)
Japan (2%)
Germany (1%)
Panama (1%)
Korea (1%)
El Salvador (1%)

Most common first ancestries reported in Saluda County:

United States or American (24%)
German (10%)
English (7%)
Irish (4%)
Scotch-Irish (1%)
Dutch (1%)
French (except Basque) (1%)

Saluda County mode of transportation to work chart

Means of transportation to work

Drove a car alone: 6,557 (76%)
Carpooled: 1,665 (19%)
Bus or trolley bus: 20 (0%)
Motorcycle: 4 (0%)
Bicycle: 7 (0%)
Walked: 85 (1%)
Other means: 60 (1%)
Worked at home: 186 (2%)

People in group quarters in Saluda County, South Carolina

197 people in nursing homes
30 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
21 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
12 people in homes for the mentally ill
2 people in homes for the mentally retarded

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $38,141.

5.52% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($33,093 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	5.52%
South Carolina average:	8.00%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
4.07% relocated from other counties in South Carolina ($23,872 average AGI)
1.44% relocated from other states ($9,221 average AGI)
Saluda County: 1.44%
South Carolina average: 4.33%

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2005 and 2006:

from Lexington County, SC	1.57% ($41,429 average AGI)
from Aiken County, SC	0.55% ($23,765)
from Edgefield County, SC	0.53% ($21,939)
from Richland County, SC	0.32% ($31,350)
from Greenwood County, SC	0.29% ($22,667)

5.68% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($27,406 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	5.68%
South Carolina average:	6.88%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
4.58% relocated to other counties in South Carolina ($22,414 average AGI)
1.10% relocated to other states ($4,992 average AGI)
Saluda County: 1.10%
South Carolina average: 3.21%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:

to Lexington County, SC	1.63% ($27,471 average AGI)
to Aiken County, SC	0.66% ($21,439)
to Greenwood County, SC	0.64% ($26,550)
to Edgefield County, SC	0.42% ($23,269)
to Newberry County, SC	0.27% ($35,706)
to Richland County, SC	0.22% ($42,429)

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 13.5
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 12.7

Births per 1000 population in Saluda County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.0
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 10.8

Deaths per 1000 population in Saluda County

Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 12.3
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2003: 9.1

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Saluda County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 2,478 (1,973 aged, 505 disabled)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 18%
Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 17%

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1466
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1021.430
Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 10.58

Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 17.62
Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 42.34

Crimes per 100,000 population in 1996 : 1

Household type by relationship

Households: 18,918

In family households: 16,655 (3,934 male householders, 1,395 female householders)
3,952 spouses, 5,503 children (5,099 natural, 94 adopted, 310 stepchildren), 670 grandchildren, 319 brothers or sisters, 215 parents, 313 other relatives, 354 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 2,263 (806 male householders (627 living alone)), 1,006 female householders (973 living alone)), 451 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 263 (224 institutionalized population)

Size of family households: 2,236 2-persons, 1,307 3-persons, 1,021 4-persons, 440 5-persons, 191 6-persons, 134 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 1,600 1-person, 129 2-persons, 46 3-persons, 21 4-persons, 4 5-persons, 3 6-persons, 9 7-or-more-persons.

92.0% of residents of Saluda County speak English at home.
7.5% of residents speak Spanish at home (26% speak English very well, 12% speak English well, 19% speak English not well, 43% don't speak English at all).
0.4% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (82% speak English very well, 8% speak English well, 10% speak English not well).
0.1% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (100% speak English very well).

In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $85,839,000 ($4549 per capita)
Department of Defense expenditure: $3,181,000
Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $37,042,000
Federal other direct payments to individuals: $14,647,000
Federal direct payments not to individuals: $3,339,000
Federal grants: $26,136,000
Federal procurement contracts: $1,244,000 ($408,000 Department of Defense)
Federal salaries and wages: $3,431,000 ($1,054,000 Department of Defense)
Federal Government direct loans: $5,573,000
Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $2,561,000
Federal Government insurance: $9,918,000

Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 1,225

Here:	65 per 1000 residents
State:	69 per 1000 residents

Deaths: 1,092

Here:	58 per 1000 residents
State:	46 per 1000 residents

Net international migration: +661

Here:	+35 per 1000 residents
State:	+9 per 1000 residents

Net internal migration: -1,047

Here:	-55 per 1000 residents
State:	+27 per 1000 residents

Population growth in Saluda County

Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 0.01 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)

Median number of rooms in houses and condos:

Here:	5.7
State:	5.9

Median number of rooms in apartments:

Here:	4.6
State:	4.3

Year house built:

1999 to March 2000: 186
1995 to 1998: 778
1990 to 1994: 857
1980 to 1989: 1,533
1970 to 1979: 1,692
1960 to 1969: 1,310
1950 to 1959: 732
1940 to 1949: 401
1939 or earlier: 1,054

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Saluda County, South Carolina:
	1 room: 18 2 rooms: 55 3 rooms: 178 4 rooms: 757 5 rooms: 1,628 6 rooms: 1,418 7 rooms: 744 8 rooms: 541 9+ rooms: 406

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Saluda County, South Carolina:
	1 room: 13 2 rooms: 101 3 rooms: 185 4 rooms: 367 5 rooms: 415 6 rooms: 162 7 rooms: 65 8 rooms: 53 9+ rooms: 21

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Saluda County:
	no bedroom: 35 1 bedroom: 153 2 bedrooms: 1,379 3 bedrooms: 3,325 4 bedrooms: 719 5+ bedrooms: 134

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Saluda County:
	no bedroom: 32 1 bedroom: 177 2 bedrooms: 577 3 bedrooms: 532 4 bedrooms: 47 5+ bedrooms: 17

Cars and other vehicles available in Saluda County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 254 1 vehicle: 1,492 2 vehicles: 2,244 3 vehicles: 1,287 4 vehicles: 347 5+ vehicles: 121

Cars and other vehicles available in Saluda County in renter-occupied apartments
	no vehicle: 395 1 vehicle: 595 2 vehicles: 253 3 vehicles: 116 4 vehicles: 15 5+ vehicles: 8

70% of Saluda County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago.
Out of people who lived in different houses, 50% lived in this county.
Out of people who lived in different counties, 67% lived in South Carolina.

Saluda County:	69.9%
State average:	56.8%

Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:

This state: 15374
Northeast: 329
Midwest: 289
South: 1764
West: 195

Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $33,100

Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 3%

Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 3%

Year Householders Moved Into Unit:

Most commonly used house heating fuel in houses and condos:
	Electricity (45%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (30%) Utility gas (12%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (8%) Wood (5%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Electricity (47%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (23%) Utility gas (15%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (11%) Wood (3%) Other fuel (1%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 107

Here:	4.9%
South Carolina:	9.2%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 56

Here:	4.8%
South Carolina:	8.1%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 13

Here:	2.8%
South Carolina:	20.3%

Educational Attainment

School Enrollment by Level of School

Age and Sex of Sensory-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Physically-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Self-Care Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Go-Outside-Home Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Residents with Employment Disability (Noninst.)

Saluda County government finances in 2002:

Bond Fund - Cash & Deposits: $102,000
Charges - All Other: $447,000
Current Operations - Corrections - Other: $1,046,000
Police Protection: $1,021,000

Regular Highways: $639,000

Judicial and Legal Services: $613,000

Health Services - Other: $601,000

General Public Buildings: $568,000

Solid Waste Management: $425,000

General - Other: $418,000

Financial Administration: $344,000

Central Staff Services: $259,000

Libraries: $140,000

Fire Protection: $130,000

Protective Inspection and Regulation, NEC: $118,000

Parks & Recreation: $91,000

Welfare - Other: $15,000

Housing & Community Development: $8,000

Air Transportation: $2,000
Federal Intergovernmental - All Other: $148,000
General - Interest on Debt: $59,000
Intergovernmental to State - Higher Education: $40,000
Health: $9,000
Local Intergovernmental - All Other: $5,000
Long Term Debt Beginning Outstanding, NEC: $986,000
Long Term Debt Outstanding - Full Faith & Credit - Other, NEC: $857,000
Long Term Debt Retired Unspecified - Other, NEC: $130,000
Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $849,000
General Revenue, NEC: $71,000

Rents: $31,000

Property Sale Other: $2,000
Other Capital Outlay - Police Protection: $66,000
Other Funds - Cash & Deposits: $6,914,000
Sinking Fund - Cash & Deposits: $63,000
State Intergovernmental - Highways: $853,000
General Support: $814,000

All Other: $180,000

Health & Hospitals: $3,000
Tax - Property: $1,847,000
Other Selective Sales: $184,000

NEC: $85,000

Public Utilities: $4,000
Total Salaries & Wages: $2,882,000

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Total Number Of Recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of aged recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of blind and disabled recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients under 18

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients between 18 and 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients older than 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients also receiving OASDI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Amount of payments (thousands of dollars)

Saluda County Fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2006:

Fatal accident count (per 100,000 population)