Anderson County, South Carolina · Anderson
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Anderson County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.8 times a year here, most often in December. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Anderson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 43 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Anderson County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
About 101 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 92,319 homes and around 210,478 residents, Anderson County is 714 square miles of northwest South Carolina. Anderson is the county seat; Powdersville, Centerville and Homeland Park are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Anderson County ranks 13 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Anderson County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Anderson County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of South Carolina. It averaged 44 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 3 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 46 South Carolina counties that's 7th.
Most freezing nights fall from January, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 15 and end around Mar 18.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of South Carolina. About 12.8 days a year bring an inch or more (10th of 46), most often in December, out of 49.6 inches of total precipitation. On September 27, 2024, 4.62 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.61 inches, ending September 27, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 43 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 40% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Anderson near the middle of South Carolina's 46 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 29% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 31% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 15% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Anderson County averages 101 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in January. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Anderson County homes break down as 29% utility gas, 64% electric, 4% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Anderson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greenville, Oconee and Pickens get more pipe-freeze nights than Anderson. Abbeville County has the oldest housing nearby, with 50% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Anderson | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 24 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 40% | 24 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 25% | 17 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 22% | 35 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 9.1% | 16% | 39 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.7% | 5.1% | 26 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 2/yr | 7 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 12/yr | 10 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 43/yr | 35/yr | 13 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 101/yr | 114/yr | 36 of 46 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest South Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Anderson County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, May and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology