Living in Travelers Rest, South Carolina: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.7% below the U.S. average in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood23 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 14.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close bySt. Francis-Downtown in Greenville, about 8 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityGreenville is about 10 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Travelers Rest meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Travelers Rest runs into the built-up area around Greenville (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

College town. About 1 in 3 residents is a college student, with Furman University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

Boom town. The population is up 17% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $284,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Greenville County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,033 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $54,583U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 60%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,485 a yearSouth Carolina: $1,251
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 13%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 93.3U.S. average = 100 (the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro area, not Travelers Rest alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 9,1352020: 7,821
Median age: 22 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 42%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 10%U.S.: 6%
College students: 31%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (37%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (15%); professional and business services (14%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 22%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: St. Francis-Downtown, Greenville, SC, about 8 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Travelers Rest, run by Greenville 01.

Colleges in or next to town: Furman University (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on South Carolina's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 83%U.S.: 76%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 35°F
July average high: 91°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 52 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 44 a year
Rain and melted snow: 57.4 inches a year
Snow: 2 inches a year
Elevation: 1,081 feet

Weather stations: Greenville Dwtn Ap (10 miles away) and Travelers Rest 2NE (3 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

St. Francis-DowntownEmergency room8

Greenville, SCMetro of 1 million10

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: St. Francis-Downtown, Greenville.

Greenville County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site21 miles
Blue Ridge Parkway33 miles
Cowpens National Battlefield37 miles
Great Smoky Mountains National Park55 miles
Appalachian National Scenic Trail58 miles

Campus life. Check Furman University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Travelers Rest's history on Wikipedia.

Know Travelers Rest?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Sans Souci, SC7,700 people, 5 miles
Berea, SC16,900 people, 6 miles
Parker, SC12,900 people, 8 miles
Judson, SC2,500 people, 9 miles
Dunean, SC3,700 people, 10 miles
Welcome, SC6,500 people, 10 miles

Smaller places

Slater-Marietta, SC (unincorporated)2,381 people, 6 miles
Dacusville, SC (unincorporated)198 people, 7 miles
City View, SC (unincorporated)746 people, 7 miles
Tigerville, SC (unincorporated)1,880 people, 8 miles
The Cliffs Valley, SC (unincorporated)789 people, 12 miles
Arial, SC (unincorporated)1,919 people, 14 miles
Conestee, SC (unincorporated)776 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.