Clemson is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Clemson to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.
Clemson, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
Despite the fact that it is a small city, Clemson has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly the bus - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the city for affordable transportation.
Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Clemson, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Clemson is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 61.45% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.
The per capita income in Clemson in 2018 was $32,016, which is upper middle income relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $128,064 for a family of four. However, Clemson contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Clemson also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 36.43% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Clemson is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Clemson home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Clemson residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Clemson include English, Irish, German, Italian, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Clemson is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Langs. of India.
