MoveCrew Releases the 2026 'Upstate Boomtowns Index': The Fastest-Growing Suburbs Around Greenville, SC

Greenville’s metro topped 1 million residents. A new MoveCrew report identifies the suburbs absorbing the boom.

GREENVILLE, SC, UNITED STATES, June 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- South Carolina is now the fastest-growing state in the country, and nowhere is that clearer than the Upstate. The Greenville–Anderson–Greer metro just became the first metropolitan area in South Carolina to surpass 1 million residents — 1,014,101 people as of July 2025, up 85,894 (+9.3%) since the 2020 Census. But the headline number hides the real story: most of that growth isn't landing in the city of Greenville itself. It's pouring into the small towns surrounding it.

To map where newcomers are actually settling, MoveCrew — a locally owned Greenville moving company — compiled the Upstate Boomtowns Index, ranking the metro's incorporated suburbs by population growth since 2020 and pairing each with its current median home price and the economic engine driving it.

The MoveCrew Upstate Boomtowns Index — Top 5 fastest-growing suburbs

1. Fountain Inn — an estimated +48% since 2020 (≈10,500 → ≈15,500). The fastest-growing on the list and still one of the most affordable, with a median home price around $320,000. Growth driver: major employers at Fox Hill Business Park plus a downtown revitalization, all along the I-385 corridor.

2. Greer — an estimated +47% since 2020 (≈35,900 → ≈52,700). Greer's median home price sits near $327,000. Growth driver: an unmatched job engine — BMW Manufacturing, GSP International Airport, and Inland Port Greer all sit within its orbit.

3. Mauldin — an estimated +32% since 2020 (≈24,800 → ≈32,700). Median home price around $316,000 — among the most affordable in the metro. Growth driver: BridgeWay Station, a $150 million mixed-use "urban village" rising on I-385, plus downtown redevelopment.

4. Simpsonville — an estimated +25% since 2020 (≈23,600 → ≈29,600). Median home price near $327,000. Growth driver: the I-385 corridor, proximity to BridgeWay Station, and a built-out downtown around The Warehouse at Vance.

5. Easley — an estimated +23% since 2020 (≈23,000 → ≈28,300). The value leader of the top five, with a median home price around $278,000. Growth driver: Michelin, Prisma Health Baptist Easley Hospital, and the Doodle Trail / Silos District redevelopment.

Three more to watch

Powdersville (unincorporated) — booming at an estimated +47% since 2020 on the strength of the I-85 corridor and top-rated Anderson District One schools.

Travelers Rest — up ~21% and now the priciest town on the board (median ≈$523,000), powered by the Swamp Rabbit Trail and the Pinestone development.

Duncan — up ~19% and the most affordable (median ≈$259,000), fueled by the Tyger River Industrial Park and its BMW-supplier corridor between I-26 and I-85.

What it means for people moving here

"We see this boom on the truck every week," said [Spokesperson Name], [title] at MoveCrew. "Five years ago, most of our long-distance jobs ended in the city of Greenville. Today they end in Fountain Inn, Greer, and Mauldin — towns a lot of out-of-state buyers have never heard of until they start house-hunting. The pattern is simple: people chase the job hubs around BMW and the airport, the new mixed-use districts, and a median home price that still starts with a 2 or a 3."

MoveCrew notes a clear split in who picks where: value-driven and first-time buyers gravitate to Easley, Duncan, and Fountain Inn; commuters tied to BMW, GSP, and the Inland Port cluster in Greer and Duncan; and lifestyle buyers willing to pay a premium head to Travelers Rest. "Knowing those patterns is half of planning a smooth move into the Upstate," the spokesperson added.

Methodology & sources

Rankings reflect population growth among incorporated municipalities in the Greenville metro between the 2020 U.S. Census and the 2024–2025 population estimates (U.S. Census Bureau and World Population Review); figures are estimates and rounded. Median home prices are median sale prices via Redfin (2025–2026) and, in these smaller markets, can move month to month. Metro and state figures are from U.S. Census Bureau population estimates as reported by the Greenville Journal, Post and Courier, and the S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce.


About MoveCrew
MoveCrew is a locally owned, full-service moving company serving Greenville and the greater Upstate of South Carolina, including every town in this Index. From local and apartment moves to long-distance relocations, MoveCrew helps families settle into the Upstate's fastest-growing communities. Learn more about MoveCrew's movers in Greenville, SC.

Tristyn L Peterson
MoveCrew - Greenville SC Movers
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