Greer, SC: The 17th Fastest-Growing City in America

Greer was just ranked by the Census Bureau as the 17th fastest-growing city in the country, measured against every city with more than 20,000 residents. What’s strange is how Greer still feels when you visit. People show up expecting a small town and mostly find one, though the numbers say otherwise.

Sitting directly between Greenville and Spartanburg, Greer holds one of the more strategic positions in the Southeast. But geography alone doesn’t explain this. Mayor Rick Danner framed the ranking as validation of decades of deliberate work, and press coverage keeps circling the same vocabulary: intentional, strategic, sustainable.

That matters because plenty of cities grow fast. Far fewer grow on purpose.

The economy is accelerating. BMW Manufacturing anchors everything, with roughly 9,000 people on site and thousands more at suppliers that relocated here because BMW did. That plant reshaped the region in the 1990s and remains one of South Carolina’s strongest economic engines.

Inland Port Greer links the city by rail to Charleston, with container volume that keeps rising. Greenville-Spartanburg International, which sits next door, has ranked among the country’s best small airports four years running, which relocation buyers notice. Retail sales crossed $2 billion for the first time in 2025, up 25% in a single year.

Downtown is where the growth becomes visible. Greer Station wraps around a 150-year-old railroad depot, and the city put $12 million into rebuilding the streetscape around it. That spending has since pulled in more than $200 million in private reinvestment. Three blocks hold restaurants of nearly every cuisine, breweries, coffee shops, and sports bars, with some of the favorites:

• Select Restaurant
• The Great Bay Oyster House
• Wild Ace Pizza & Pub

A block away, the 116-year-old Greer Mill is being converted into a live-work destination with $35 million from Self-Help Credit Union.

The city established an impressive initiative called ForGreer. Under the project, the 200,000-square-foot Greer Sports and Events Center broke ground in August 2025 and will open in 2027. The space will include basketball and volleyball courts, esports space, batting stations, walking tracks, and sport simulators, with an expected annual impact of up to $20 million. Additionally, a public safety training center is in progress, and the city closed 2025 with 13 subdivisions under construction.

Fast-growing cities usually get swamped by their own success. Greer is staying ahead of it.

As for who lives here, the mix is wide. Multi-generation Upstate families share neighborhoods with young professionals who moved for their jobs. The median age is 36, unemployment is near 2.4%, and most working residents hold professional or administrative roles. BMW has brought real international texture too, drawing executives and their families from Germany and across Europe.

On pricing, Greer lands under Greenville and above Spartanburg. Starter homes and townhomes run from the mid-$200s into the low $300s. Single-family homes in established and newer neighborhoods range from the mid-$300s to the $500s, with larger properties and higher-end communities reaching $600 and beyond. Inventory has loosened since the peak years, giving buyers room to think, while well-priced listings still move on the strength of local hiring.

You can watch the full video above, or feel free to skip to the topics that interest you most using the timestamps below:

00:00 — Greer’s Growth
02:09 — Economic Anchors
03:38 — Who Lives Here
04:34 — Downtown Greer
06:06 — Mill Redevelopment
06:47 — ForGreer Projects
08:29 — Daily Life
09:24 — Housing Market

Greer has been growing for decades and shows every sign of continuing. Whether you’re relocating for work, buying your first home, or wanting more space without losing the lifestyle, it deserves a serious look.

If you’d like to explore what a move to Greer or anywhere in the Greenville area could look like, I’d be honored to help. Call or text me at 864-915-2946, email me at zachbrinson@kw.com, or visit thebrinsongroupsc.com.