GREENVILLE — Towns and cities across South Carolina continue to see breakneck population growth, with the Upstate leading with four municipalities among the top 12 fastest-growing in the state.
People continue to flock to the region, thanks in part to its mix of amenities. Housing is more affordable than major cities across the United States. The Blue Ridge Mountains and lakes provide ample opportunities for recreation, and growing investment from major businesses has been creating jobs, especially in manufacturing and logistics.
Leading the Upstate in growth was Woodruff, which grew about 10.4 percent from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. It was the second fastest-growing in the state, behind Hardeeville in Jasper County.
The other representatives from the Upstate are Mauldin at No. 7 and Fountain Inn at No. 8, which have each become intertwined with Greenville, and Greer at No. 12, which straddles the line between Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
Towns and cities in the South had the nation's highest population growth rates in 2024, census data shows, but in South Carolina, there were 61 that grew even faster.
Municipalities across the South grew their populations by an average of 1.6 percent in a single year. In South Carolina, double-digit growth rates were seen in places including Hardeeville, Woodruff and Moncks Corner.
In 2024, only three states — Florida, Texas and Utah — saw their populations grow more rapidly than South Carolina.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greenville-Spartanburg region saw its net migration rate more than double — the greatest change in migration patterns for South Carolina’s four largest metropolitan areas, Colliers found in 2024.
This searing demand has led to a boom in housing construction that's often most noticeable in the traditionally rural parts of the Upstate.
“I hardly see any land,” said Kendra Williams, who grew up in Greenville County. “I hardly see the greenery because cookie-cutter — that's what I call them — subdivisions are going up everywhere."
Woodruff has pulled in an outsized amount of industrial investment in recent years. Nearly $1 billion has been announced, between a BMW electric vehicle battery plant and the headquarters for a global cooling solutions provider that’s currently based in Greer. A new Woodruff High School — double the capacity of the existing one — is under construction.
"Woodruff is a special community and people want to be a part of something special," Mayor Kenneth Gist said. "You will see more opportunities in the future with commercial and industrial growth as the population increases, and we are excited about the future."
The city, whose population jumped by an estimated 10.4 percent to 5,072, gained more residents in one year than it had during the prior three. Its population has grown by 20 percent, adding 854 people, since the 2020 Census.
Closer to Greenville, off Interstate 385, Mauldin’s population grew by 5.8 percent. Fountain Inn, which sits south of Mauldin and past Simpsonville, along the highway, saw its population grow by 5.7 percent.
Greer, which is situated halfway between Greenville and Spartanburg, has emerged as an industrial hub. The rail yard Inland Port Greer provides a nonstop connection to the Port of Charleston, and it’s positioned along Interstate 85, about halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte.
Much of the Upstate’s change can be seen in the urban transformation of Greenville’s city center, where dense development and various amenities have sprung up in recent decades. The city grew at a modest 1.4 percent, per the latest data.
Steve Eager, who’s originally from Ohio, worked at the Hyatt Regency downtown in the 1990s. At the time, he struggled to think of recreational activities to recommend to hotel guests.
“As far as coming to the city as a destination in and of itself, people didn’t do that,” Eager said. “It was much more of a small town, country-type feel at that time.”