Pendleton, SC

The affordability dashboard for Pendleton, SC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 8,673 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $72,445, median home value of $269,500, median rent of $1,049 per month, and 38.8% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,173 per month (studio $1,022, 1BR $1,035, 3BR $1,519, 4BR $1,849). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,344 per year, consuming 14% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Pendleton, SC include rent. Unemployment currently reads 2.3% and poverty 13.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.