Gaffney, South Carolina Population 2024

12,398

Gaffney is a city located in Cherokee County South Carolina. Gaffney has a 2024 population of 12,398. Gaffney is currently declining at a rate of -0.69% annually and its population has decreased by -2.7% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 12,742 in 2020.

The average household income in Gaffney is $53,835 with a poverty rate of 23.07%. The median age in Gaffney is 33.6 years: 29.7 years for males, and 36.4 years for females.

Gaffney Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Gaffney was:

  • Black or African American: 43.44%
  • White: 42.18%
  • Two or more races: 8.49%
  • Other race: 5.09%
  • Native American: 0.71%
  • Asian: 0.09%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
Land Area (mi²)
9.0 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,382.20/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-2.7% (-344)
The current population of Gaffney, South Carolina is 12,398 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 12,742.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
Black or African American5,49643.44%
White5,33642.18%
Two or more races1,0748.49%
Other race6445.09%
Native American900.71%
Asian110.09%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

Black or African American

White

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Gaffney Population by Race

Gaffney Population Pyramid 2024

Gaffney Median Age

33.6

Total

29.7

Male

36.4

Female

Gaffney Adults

There are 9,944 adults, (2,039 of whom are seniors) in Gaffney.

Gaffney Age Dependency

60

Age Dependency Ratio

25.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

34.2

Child Dependency Ratio

Gaffney Sex Ratio

Female6,57051.93%
Male6,08148.07%

Gaffney Population by Age

Gaffney Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All4,6112.535347
Non Family2,0651.2447.152.9
Married1,4643.4365.934.1
Female8363.8544.755.3
Male2463.5453.746.3

3.5

Average Family Size

2.53

Average Household Size

53.0%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Gaffney Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade1,10113.48%
Associates Degree8099.9%
Bachelors Degree95811.73%
Graduate Degree6047.39%
High School Graduate2,90635.58%
Less Than 9th Grade4095.01%
Some College1,38116.91%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Gaffney Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Gaffney Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White3,9783,304917
Black3,4772,778562
2+ Races49939883
Hispanic39932865
Other Race1481480
Native American62260
Asian440

The highest rate of high school graduation is among asian people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 23.05%.

Gaffney Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$35,385$46,272$0
Graduate Degree$52,789$0$54,132
High School Graduate$26,000$42,000$19,426
Less Than 9th Grade$19,643$22,543$17,386
Overall$30,631$38,549$28,143
Some College$34,800$40,361$28,141

$30,631

Average Earnings

$38,549

Average Male

$28,143

Average Female

Gaffney Earnings by Educational Attainment

Gaffney Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Gaffney Language

95.29% of Gaffney residents speak only English, while 4.71% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.1% of the population.

Gaffney Language

Gaffney Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black5,1201,77934.75%
White4,84379416.39%
Multiple1,021767.44%
Hispanic700304.29%
Other644233.57%
Native662030.3%
Asian77100%

23.07%

Overall Poverty Rate

19.99%

Male Poverty Rate

25.99%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Gaffney

The race most likely to be in poverty in Gaffney is Asian, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Gaffney is Other, with 3.57% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 7.56%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.23%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 32.58%.

Gaffney Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade24.66%
High School22.15%
Some College14.98%
Bachelors or Greater11.38%

Gaffney Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed64.6%
Female Employed16.75%
Male Unemployed12.5%
Male Employed9.32%

Gaffney Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Gaffney Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$51,333$71,192
Households$38,059$53,835
Married Families$82,685$-999,999,999
Non Families$25,230$31,504

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Gaffney Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

31.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

33.9%

Male Marriage Rate

29.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Gaffney Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Gaffney Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Gaffney Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Gaffney Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

873

Number of Veterans

733

Male Veterans

140

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam233
First Gulf War199
Second Gulf War180
Korea100
World War II53

Gaffney Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 74243
55 to 64193
75+190
18 to 34130
35 to 54117

Gaffney Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
Black4580.10959559703278296
White3240.06821052631578947
2+ Races620.08401084010840108
Hispanic620.14657210401891252
Other Race290.19594594594594594

Gaffney Veterans by Race

Gaffney Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.26%

Veteran Poverty Rate

37.01%

Veteran Disability Rate

Gaffney Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

54.6%

Labor Force Participation

49.1%

Employment Rate

9.4%

Unemployment Rate

Gaffney Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Gaffney Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Gaffney Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

71.51%

Born in Gaffney

96.74%

Native Born

3.26%

Foreign Born

2.14%

Non Citizen

1.12%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.74% of Gaffney residents were born in the United States, with 71.51% having been born in South Carolina. 2.14% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Gaffney Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

31 Rows

Year
Population
Growth
Change
202911,968-86-0.71%
202812,054-86-0.71%
202712,140-86-0.7%
202612,226-86-0.7%
202512,312-86-0.69%
202412,398-86-0.69%
202312,484210.17%
202212,463-130-1.03%
202112,593-149-1.17%
202012,742-47-0.37%
201912,789390.31%
201812,750610.48%
201712,689-106-0.83%
201612,795100.08%
201512,785-5-0.04%
201412,790330.26%
201312,757810.64%
201212,676480.38%
201112,628540.43%
201012,57400%
200012,968-177-1.35%
199013,145-308-2.29%
198013,4533222.45%
197013,1312,69625.84%
196010,4352,31228.46%
19508,1234876.38%
19407,63680911.85%
19306,8271,76234.79%
19205,0652986.25%
19104,76783021.08%
19003,937-8,031-67.1%

Gaffney Population by Year