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, there is also a high proportion of single, often educated, people living in Central. This is not typical for smaller communities in America, and adds a feeling of vibrancy to Central.
Despite the fact that it is a small town, Central has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly the bus - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the town for affordable transportation.
The citizens of Central are among the most well-educated in the nation: 48.56% of adults in Central have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's 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.
