Community Profile

The City of Pickens is situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is the county seat of Pickens County. The City is approximately 20 miles west of Greenville, South Carolina, 70 miles south of Asheville, North Carolina, and 143 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The 2013 population of Pickens was 3,149 according to the 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. According to the 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 68.4% of homes in the City were constructed prior to 1980 and the median value of owner-occupied housing is significantly lower in the City ($86,400) compared to the County ($123,900), State ($137,400), and United States ($176,700).

Historically the City's economy was based upon manufacturing wood and textile products; however, their role today is minimal. This decline resulted in the abandonment of two rail lines, one of which has been repurposed into the Doodle Trail, a bright spot for the City.  Today, the economy is based upon retail trade, governmental services and other service industries. Revitalization efforts are focused on recreational tourism, specialty retail, entrepreneurial businesses and light manufacturing and assembly.

 

Demographic Information

  

Pickens, SC

Pickens County

South Carolina

National

Population

3,1491

119,4831

4,679,6021

311,536,5941

Unemployment (2013)

18.0%1

11.8%1

11.4%1

9.7%1

Unemployment (August 2015)

N/A

6.1%2

6.0%2

5.3%2

% Women of Child Bearing Age (15-44 years old)

33.9%1

43.2%1

38.7%1

39.6%1

% Elderly (65 years and older)

16.3%1

15.5%1

14.2%1

13.4%1

% Children (0-17 years old)

25.0%1

20.1%1

23.1%1

23.7%1

Poverty Rate

28.4%1

18.9%1

18.1%1

11.3% 1

Percent Minority

12.5%1

9.7%1

31.3%1

36.7%1

Median Household Income

$32,8001

$41,7881

$44,7791

$53,0461

Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing

$86,4001

$123,9001

$137,4001

$176,7001

 

1Data are from the 2009 – 2013 American Community Survey and are available on American FactFinder at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_DP03&src=pt
2Data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and are available at www.bls.gov