MetricAiken, SCOak Grove, SC
Population32,52112,256
Median Household Income$76,746$74,554
Median Rent$1,180/mo$1,045/mo
Median Home Value$286,800$210,300
Cost of Living (US = 100)9294
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income52.4%41.5%
Poverty Rate17%12.6%
Unemployment Rate4.7%3.8% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k451225*
Property Crime Rate /100k3,4021,365*
Median AQI39—
Good AQI Days /yr——
Summer Highs91°F91°F
Winter Lows36°F36°F
Snowfall1 in/yr1 in/yr
Avg Commute24.2 min21.7 min
Hospitals1—
Avg Hospital Rating2.0 / 5—
Students per Teacher15.712.6
College Degree Rate47.7%32.6%
Foreign-Born %3.3%7.2%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+5.2%+11.0%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Oak Grove (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.