Central is a somewhat small town located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 5,339 people and four associated neighborhoods, Central is the 77th largest community in South Carolina. Central real estate is some of the most expensive in South Carolina, although Central house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Central is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Central is a town of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Central who work in teaching (12.49%), management occupations (11.12%), and sales jobs (10.56%). Also of interest is that Central has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Central is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Central to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town. For a small town, Central has a lot of people who use public transit to get to work, and those that do mostly ride the bus. This suggests that a real need for low-cost transportation in Central exists, and local transit is helping to meet that need.The education level of Central ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Central, 48.56% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree. The per capita income in Central in 2022 was $21,506, which is lower middle income relative to South Carolina, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $86,024 for a family of four. However, Central contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Central also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.42% of its population below the federal poverty line.Central is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Central home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Central residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Central include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Other Arab. The most common language spoken in Central is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.
