Housing data for Watts Mills, SC
Watts Mills, SC has an estimated 1,942 residents and 692 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Laurens County.
57.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $817 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,942 (±883)
- Housing units
- 692 (±230)
- Households that rent
- 57.9%
- Median gross rent
- $817
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +41.0%
What stands out in Watts Mills
Households that rent: 57.9% (±20.9 points) in Watts Mills, higher than in Laurens County (28.5%).
Median home value: $108,300 (±$42,958) in Watts Mills, lower than in Laurens County ($170,600).
Housing in Watts Mills at a glance
- Median rent: $817 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $886 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 32.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 57.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $50,901 median household income
- Home values: $108,300 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,163 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Types of homes: 1.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 17.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 57.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 16.4% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 64.6% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 26.7 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +41.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 35.4% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 20.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Watts Mills against Laurens County, its state and the nation
| Watts Mills | Laurens County | South Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,942 (±883) | 68,666 (exact) | 5,296,225 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 692 (±230) | 32,027 (±54) | 2,443,039 (±311) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 57.9% (±20.9 points) | 28.5% (±2.1 points) | 28.1% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $817 (±$227) | $880 (±$40) | $1,180 (±$9) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $50,901 (±$6,177) | $57,623 (±$2,977) | $69,324 (±$570) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $108,300 (±$42,958) | $170,600 (±$8,330) | $259,000 (±$1,421) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | — | $698 (±$56) | $1,251 (±$7) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 57.8% (±25.3 points) | 42.7% (±2.8 points) | 32.8% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 26.7 minutes (±3.0) | 25.2 minutes (±1.0) | 25.6 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 82.5% (±15.9 points) | 86.1% (±1.9 points) | 88.8% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 30.5 years (±6.7) | 40.9 years (±0.4) | 40.2 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Watts Mills covers 2.3 square miles of land, about 856 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Watts Mills has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,377 (±407) | 1,942 (±883) | +41.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 491 (±126) | 692 (±230) | +40.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $823 (±$117) | $817 (±$227) | −0.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $24,091 (±$5,239) | $50,901 (±$6,177) | +111.3% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 48.5% (±16.7 points) | 57.9% (±20.9 points) | +9.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±14.8 points) | 16.4% (±18.4 points) | +16.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Laurens County
Watts Mills has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Laurens County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Laurens County recorded 388 violent and 1,731 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Watts Mills
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens | 2.2 mi | $833 | $180,700 | 53.6% |
| Clinton | 7.7 mi | $899 | $173,400 | 48.5% |
| Gray Court | 9.7 mi | $910 | $185,900 | 27.3% |
| Waterloo | 12 mi | — | — | 28.9% |
| Joanna | 13 mi | $625 | $88,100 | 33.5% |
| Cross Hill | 15 mi | $744 | $104,500 | 9.8% |
| Woodruff | 16 mi | $810 | $204,800 | 45.7% |
| Ware Shoals | 17 mi | $859 | $82,000 | 31.5% |
Places in South Carolina most like Watts Mills
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springdale (community) | $943 | $114,700 | $41,398 | 51.4% |
| Brookdale | $678 | $96,500 | $39,449 | 54.1% |
| Orangeburg | $848 | $163,500 | $38,635 | 55.4% |
| Timmonsville | $891 | $104,300 | $34,630 | 54.4% |
| Homeland Park | $829 | $103,700 | $40,218 | 43.4% |
| Utica | $1,073 | $145,400 | $55,179 | 47.6% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across South Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Watts Mills, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $875 | $924 | $1,119 | $1,333 | $1,571 |
HUD income limits for Watts Mills, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $16,800 | $28,000 | $44,750 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $32,000 | $51,150 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $36,000 | $57,550 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $39,950 | $63,900 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $43,150 | $69,050 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $46,350 | $74,150 |
| 7 people | $49,550 | $49,550 | $79,250 |
| 8 people | $52,750 | $52,750 | $84,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Laurens County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $79,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Watts Mills is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Watts Mills
What is the average rent in Watts Mills, SC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Watts Mills is $817 (±$227) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Watts Mills?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Watts Mills, SC is $675 (±$14) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Watts Mills?
Watts Mills has an estimated 332 (±179) renting households, 57.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Watts Mills?
The median household income in Watts Mills is $50,901 (±$6,177) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Watts Mills, SC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $108,300 (±$42,958) for owner-occupied homes in Watts Mills (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Watts Mills?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Watts Mills, SC is $1,163 (±$508) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Watts Mills growing?
In Watts Mills, the number of residents went from 1,377 in 2015–2019 to 1,942 in 2020–2024 (+41.0%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Laurens County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Laurens County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Watts Mills CDP, South Carolina (place:75220, in state:45).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .