Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Spartanburg County is a county in South Carolina, United States, about 30 miles northeast of
Greenville in the Upstate region. It had a population of 327,997 at the 2020 census, an estimated
380,857 by 2024, and covers 819 square miles (2,120 km2) centred near 34°56′N 81°59′W.

Spartanburg is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 29301. The county holds 7
cities, 7 incorporated towns and 25 census-designated places, plus roughly a dozen smaller
unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 45083.

Towns & Villages in Spartanburg County

Spartanburg County has 39 named places with Census Bureau population figures on record: 14
incorporated cities and towns and 25 census-designated places (CDPs), communities the Census
Bureau tracks for statistics but that have no local government of their own.

Two of the incorporated cities straddle a county line, so their population figures above are
citywide, not Spartanburg County’s share alone. Greer’s 35,308 residents are split roughly
9,721 in Spartanburg County and the rest, including downtown, across the line in Greenville
County. Chesnee is mostly in Spartanburg, with a small part of the city extending east into
Cherokee County. Woodruff and Landrum, despite their positions near the Laurens and Greenville
county lines, lie entirely inside Spartanburg County. Beyond the 39 places above, local maps also
name Campton, Cashville, Cherokee Springs, Crescent, Holly Springs, Little Africa, Little Chicago,
Moore, New Prospect, Pelham (locally called Sugar Tit), Stone Station, Switzer, Una and White
Stone as unincorporated communities with no Census Bureau population count of their own.

ZIP Codes

• 29301 — Spartanburg (also covers Fairforest)
• 29302 — Spartanburg (also covers Ben Avon and Camp Croft)
• 29303 — Spartanburg (also covers Whitney and Hilltop)
• 29306 — Spartanburg (also covers Arkwright)
• 29307 — Spartanburg
• 29316 — Boiling Springs
• 29320 — Arcadia
• 29322 — Campobello
• 29323 — Chesnee
• 29324 — Clifton
• 29329 — Converse
• 29330 — Cowpens
• 29334 — Duncan
• 29335 — Enoree (also covers Cross Anchor)
• 29346 — Glendale
• 29349 — Inman (also covers Inman Mills, Fingerville and Gramling)
• 29356 — Landrum
• 29365 — Lyman
• 29368 — Mayo
• 29372 — Pacolet and Central Pacolet
• 29374 — Pauline
• 29375 — Reidville
• 29376 — Roebuck
• 29377 — Startex
• 29385 — Wellford
• 29388 — Woodruff
• 29650 — Greer

Valley Falls, Saxon, Southern Shops, Drayton and Glenn Springs have no ZIP code of their own;
mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Spartanburg County sits in South Carolina’s Piedmont, a belt of rolling hills between the
Blue Ridge foothills to the north and the state’s coastal plain to the south. Of its 819
square miles, 808.34 are land and about 11 are water, roughly 1.4 percent. The Pacolet River
crosses the county’s eastern half, the Tyger River its southern half, and the Enoree River
forms part of its southwestern edge; all three powered the textile mills the county built its
19th-century economy around.

Rutherford County and Polk County, North Carolina, lie to the north, Cherokee County to the
east, Union County and Laurens County to the south, and Greenville County to the west. Polk County, Cherokee County, Union County, Laurens County and Greenville County all border
Spartanburg directly; Rutherford County has no page on this site yet.

Demographics

Spartanburg County had a population of 327,997 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 380,857 residents — South Carolina’s fifth most populous county.
Spartanburg and Boiling Springs are the two largest fully-contained communities. Population
density works out to roughly 406 people per square mile of land. South Carolina’s statewide
median household income was $67,804 (2023 ACS); the county’s older mill villages generally run
below that figure, while the newer growth areas around Boiling Springs and Duncan run above it.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing is the county’s largest employment sector, about 24.1 percent of the
workforce, with an average annual wage of $64,896 — a legacy of the roughly 40 textile mills
built here between the late 1800s and early 1900s. As of April 2024, the county’s largest
employers include Adidas, BMW, Ingles, Michelin, Optum, QuikTrip, Sage Automotive Interiors,
Siemens and Walmart. Milliken & Company, a textile and chemical manufacturer, keeps its world
headquarters and research campus in Spartanburg, and restaurant chain Denny’s is
headquartered there too. The county’s GDP reached $19.5 billion in 2022, about $54,626 per
capita. Spartanburg’s biggest annual event is the Hub City Hog Fest each fall, a downtown
barbecue competition with live music; the city also hosts an annual “Dickens of a
Christmas” celebration after Thanksgiving.

History

South Carolina’s legislature formed Spartanburg County in 1785, naming it for the Spartan
Regiment, a local militia that fought in the American Revolutionary War, including at the Battle
of Cowpens on 17 January 1781 — fought on ground now inside neighboring Cherokee County,
which split off from Spartanburg in 1897. The town of Cowpens takes its name from that same
battlefield. Spartanburg city was incorporated in 1831, near the battle’s 50th anniversary,
and grew into a rail hub, earning the nickname “Hub City” as lines radiated out from
it “like wheel spokes.”

Beginning in the late 19th century, textile mills built entire company towns across the county
— Clifton, Converse, Drayton, Glendale, Inman Mills and Saxon among them — making
Spartanburg a manufacturing center comparable in scale to Lowell, Massachusetts. During the
Second World War, the U.S. Army ran an infantry training center at Camp Croft, training about
60,000 soldiers a year from 1941 to 1946 and briefly holding nearly 1,000 German prisoners of war;
the site is now Croft State Park and a residential area.

Getting There

Interstates 26, 85 and 585 all cross the county, along with US 29, US 176 and US 221.

• Greenville — about 30 miles west
• Asheville, North Carolina — about 60 miles north
• Columbia — about 90 miles south
• Charlotte, North Carolina — about 75 miles east

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport sits mostly inside Spartanburg County, midway
between the two cities, and is served by Delta, American, Southwest, United, Allegiant, Avelo and
Breeze. Amtrak’s Crescent line stops at the Spartanburg station on its run between Charlotte
and Greenville.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Spartanburg County located?
It sits in South Carolina’s Upstate Piedmont, about 30 miles northeast of Greenville,
bordered by Rutherford and Polk counties in North Carolina and by Cherokee, Union, Laurens and
Greenville counties in South Carolina.

What is the population of Spartanburg County?
327,997 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 380,857 — South Carolina’s fifth
most populous county.

How big is Spartanburg County?
819 square miles (2,120 km2), of which 808.34 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Spartanburg County?
Spartanburg, incorporated in 1831, is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and cities are in Spartanburg County?
Fourteen incorporated places — seven cities (Spartanburg, Greer, Woodruff, Wellford, Inman,
Landrum and Chesnee) and seven towns (Lyman, Duncan, Pacolet, Cowpens, Reidville, Campobello and
Central Pacolet) — plus 25 census-designated places with no local government of their own.

What ZIP codes does Spartanburg County use?
29301 through 29307 for Spartanburg and its edge communities, plus separate codes for each of the
county’s towns, including 29316 for Boiling Springs and 29650 for the Spartanburg County side
of Greer.

What is Spartanburg County known for?
Its 19th-century textile mill towns, its manufacturing base led by BMW and Michelin suppliers, and
Wofford College and Milliken & Company’s world headquarters in Spartanburg city.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Carolina.