Laurens is home to 9,336 people in South Carolina. 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Owners hold 46% of the housing stock. 25.4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $180,700. That trails the South Carolina median by roughly 29%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $49,246, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 50%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Laurens
What changed most since 1990
Homes owned by their occupants62.2% → 46.4%(−15.7 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
White share58.0% → 50.7%(−7.2 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Poverty rate19.9% → 25.4%(+5.6 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Laurens's population equals 14% of Laurens County's. Its number of households without a car equals 35% of the county's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 21% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)33.1%(149)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)10.2%(46)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.7%(138)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.8%(35)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.2%(10)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 450 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Laurens, decade by decade
Laurens population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
9,694
$53,613
$106,083
13.8%
61.4
2000
9,916
$52,384
$120,229
16.8%
65.9
2010
9,139
$42,038
$120,265
17.9%
70.6
2020
9,335
$50,283
$115,386
16.6%
75.8
2024
9,336
$49,246
$180,700
13.9%
74.1
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
