Laurens, SC

Census Place

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2024 Population
9,336
US Senator
Lindsey Graham
Republican Party
US Senator
Tim Scott
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
42.1
0.237% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
25.4%
15.6% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$49,246
10.8% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$180,700
29.3% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
3,842
2.43% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Laurens, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.7% of the residents in Laurens, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Laurens, SC was $180,700, and the homeownership rate was 46.4%.

Most people in Laurens, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Laurens, SC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesSouth CarolinaLaurens County, SCGreenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SCLaurens, Newberry & Union Counties PUMA, SC

Population & Diversity

Laurens, SC is home to a population of 9.34k people, from which 95.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.88% of Laurens, SC residents were born outside of the country (549 people).

In 2024, there were 1.35 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.74k people) in Laurens, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.52k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 385 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.7%
2024 Citizenship
95.9%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.7% of Laurens, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Laurens, SC was 95.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Laurens, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Laurens, SC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    4.74k ± 463
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    3.52k ± 496
  3. White (Hispanic)
    385 ± 265
8.84%
Hispanic Population
825 people

In 2024, there were 1.35 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.74k people) in Laurens, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.52k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 385 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

8.84% of the people in Laurens, SC are hispanic (825 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Laurens, SC as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    63,986 ± 6,172 people
  2. India
    20,779 ± 3,532 people
  3. Honduras
    17,281 ± 3,222 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 63,986 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 20,779 and Honduras with 17,281.

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Foreign-Born Population

5.88%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
549 people
5.74%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
534 people

As of 2024, 5.88% of Laurens, SC residents (549 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Laurens, SC was 5.74%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Laurens, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    149 ± 124
  2. Vietnam
    138 ± 88
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    46 ± 61

Laurens, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.08 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Laurens, SC.

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Economy

The economy of Laurens, SC employs 3.84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Laurens, SC were Health Care & Social Assistance (679 people), Manufacturing (671 people), and Retail Trade (440 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($103,507), Construction ($66,250), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($65,858).

Employment

Occupations

3.84k
2024 Value
± 593
2.43%
1 Year growth
± 21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Laurens, SC grew at a rate of 2.43%, from 3.75k employees to 3.84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Laurens, SC, are Healthcare Support Occupations (451 people), Production Occupations (424 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (405 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Laurens, SC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

3.84k
2024 Value
± 593
2.43%
1 Year growth
± 21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Laurens, SC grew at a rate of 2.43%, from 3.75k employees to 3.84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Laurens, SC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (679 people), Manufacturing (671 people), and Retail Trade (440 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Laurens, SC, though some of these residents may live in Laurens, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$46,832
Median earning men ± $8,923
$33,517
Median earning women ± $3,686

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($66,453), Other Services Except Public Administration ($66,155), and Manufacturing ($48,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($49,398), Manufacturing ($46,223), and Public Administration ($39,647).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.
Y-Axis
2.54%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Laurens, SC was $180,700 in 2024, which is 0.543 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $139,800 to $180,700, a 29.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Laurens, SC is 46.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Laurens, SC have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Laurens, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$180,700
Median Property Value 2024
±$35,710
$1,823
Median Property Taxes
±$347

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Laurens, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Laurens, SC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

46.4%
Homeownership
2024
59.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 46.4% of the housing units in Laurens, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 45.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Laurens, SC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$49,246
Median Household Income
± $13,089
3.93k
Number of Households
± 583

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.93k households in Laurens, SC declined from $49,246 from the previous year's value of $55,207.

The following chart displays the households in Laurens, SC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $20k - $25k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Laurens, SC is from South Carolina.
0.464
2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina
0.464
2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.102% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (77.9%)
  2. Carpooled (16.3%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.26%)

In 2024, 77.9% of workers in Laurens, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16.3%) and those who worked at home (5.26%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

20.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Laurens, SC have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.343% of the workforce in Laurens, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Laurens, SC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Laurens, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Laurens, SC have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

25.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Laurens, SC (2.28k out of 8.98k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Laurens, SC is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.4% of the population of Laurens, SC has health coverage, with 35.1% on employee plans, 28.2% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 7.71% on non-group plans, and 0.788% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Carolina see 1,485 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,485 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1682 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 437 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.6% under 18 years, 17% between 18 and 34 years, 34.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.6%
Uninsured
35.1%
Employer Coverage
28.2%
Medicaid
17.5%
Medicare
7.71%
Non-Group
0.788%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Laurens, SC declined by 8.31% from 11.6% to 10.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Laurens, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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