Clemson, SC: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Clemson in Seismic Design Category C: Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Clemson sits at the 78th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Clemson by the numbers

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.236g, short-period spectral response 0.377g, 1-second spectral response 0.102g. Among 66 South Carolina cities in this dataset, Clemson ranks 20 for seismic hazard, the 71th percentile within the state. About 18,610 people live in Clemson, South Carolina.

Retrofit economics for Clemson

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for South Carolina. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Clemson home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Clemson address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Clemson's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.