COUNTY
Beaufort County
South Carolina · 204,433 residents (2025 est.) · 576 sq mi
Time machine
VIEWING
COMPARE TO
Part of the Hilton Head Island metro area
Notable rankings
#152Most educatedof 3,14446.0%The short version
Beaufort County is a county of 195,289 people in South Carolina. The median age is 48.1, about 9 years above the US median. The population has risen by half since 2000, adding 74,352 people. Few US counties rank higher on income. About 46% of adults have finished a four-year degree. 76% of homes are owner-occupied.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $86,573, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 48.1
US median: 38.9
More educated
46% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 49%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Beaufort County
What changed most since 1990
- Median age30.5 → 48.1 (+17.6 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
- Population86,425 → 195,289 (+126%)US over the same years: +35%
- Black share28.3% → 15.5% (−12.8 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Among the 46 counties in South Carolina
- 3rd in household income$86,573
- 2nd in share with a bachelor's degree46.0%
- 2nd in home value$455,600
- 33rd in diversity score63.3
Section 01
Population & growth
195,289
+61%since 2000
from 120,937 in 2000
204,433 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
576 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024195K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.6%(9,020)
5 to 94.4%(8,605)
10 to 145.3%(10,279)
15 to 196.2%(12,100)
20 to 246.7%(12,995)
25 to 3410.4%(20,231)
35 to 449.9%(19,301)
45 to 5410.1%(19,778)
55 to 6414.1%(27,547)
65 to 7416.3%(31,748)
75 to 849.5%(18,643)
85 and over2.6%(5,042)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$86,573
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,992 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
57.3%
+22.0 ptssince 2009
from 35.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13.5%
Wholesale trade9%
Other services7.1%
Retail trade6.4%
Finance & insurance4.3%
Public administration4%
Professional, scientific, technical3.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
Construction0.9%
Education & health services0.7%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$455,600
+49%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $168,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
5.3
−2%since 2009
from 5.4 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
58
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic67.4%(81,477)
Black23.7%(28,654)
Hispanic / Latino6.8%(8,208)
Asian0.8%(938)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic67.3%(131,453)
Black15.5%(30,270)
Hispanic / Latino12.4%(24,168)
Asian1.1%(2,149)
Other3.7%(7,249)
63
+2%since 2009
from 62 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
37
−11%since 2020
from 41 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican5.8%(11,330)
Central American2.2%(4,211)
Puerto Rican2%(3,841)
South American1.3%(2,600)
Honduran0.9%(1,779)
Salvadoran0.5%(1,039)
Colombian0.5%(935)
Guatemalan0.4%(793)
Venezuelan0.3%(527)
Cuban0.2%(441)
Nicaraguan0.2%(417)
Argentine0.2%(385)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Uruguayan0.2%(319)
Dominican0.1%(286)
Spaniard0.1%(280)
Bolivian0.1%(201)
Costa Rican0.1%(108)
Peruvian0.1%(99)
Panamanian0%(75)
Chilean0%(67)
Ecuadorian0%(50)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.3%(603)
Filipino0.3%(540)
Chinese0.2%(338)
Japanese0.1%(246)
Asian Indian0.1%(115)
Korean0.1%(102)
Thai0%(92)
Hmong0%(83)
Nepalese0%(45)
Indonesian0%(34)
Ancestry
German13.2%(25,869)
English13.2%(25,856)
Irish12.2%(23,921)
Italian6.2%(12,204)
American5.9%(11,581)
Polish2.7%(5,211)
French2.6%(5,032)
Scottish2.5%(4,852)
Scotch-Irish1.2%(2,416)
Dutch1.2%(2,359)
Swedish1.1%(2,184)
Norwegian0.9%(1,764)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.8%(1,607)
West Indian0.7%(1,336)
Welsh0.6%(1,250)
Jamaican0.5%(1,061)
Subsaharan African0.5%(1,046)
Arab0.5%(1,019)
Hungarian0.5%(944)
French Canadian0.5%(883)
Greek0.4%(798)
Slovak0.4%(798)
Ukrainian0.4%(746)
Czech0.4%(719)
Canadian0.3%(677)
British0.3%(674)
Portuguese0.3%(561)
Lebanese0.3%(502)
Danish0.3%(500)
Finnish0.2%(461)
Lithuanian0.2%(418)
Austrian0.2%(392)
Swiss0.2%(355)
Brazilian0.1%(189)
Croatian0.1%(189)
Iranian0.1%(159)
Romanian0.1%(135)
Armenian0.1%(128)
Ethiopian0.1%(111)
Slovene0.1%(101)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(86)
Moroccan0%(84)
Syrian0%(77)
Turkish0%(61)
Haitian0%(60)
Belgian0%(54)
Bulgarian0%(50)
Macedonian0%(47)
Serbian0%(44)
Egyptian0%(38)
Palestinian0%(17)
Australian0%(17)
Guyanese0%(17)
Latvian0%(15)
Iraqi0%(14)
Nigerian0%(5)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
94.7%
+6.8 ptssince 2000
from 87.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 70.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.2%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 95.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.5%(25,102)
Married59%(48,557)
Widowed3%(2,441)
Divorced7.6%(6,246)
Women 15+
Never married20.3%(17,234)
Married59.5%(50,569)
Widowed9%(7,672)
Divorced11.2%(9,564)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
21.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 20.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
3.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 3.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 71.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
42.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 41.0% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)26%(4,390)
Gulf War (1990s)23.5%(3,956)
Vietnam era37.7%(6,360)
Korean War4.1%(697)
World War II1.1%(187)
Share of the 16,866 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Beaufort County, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 86,425 | $73,082 | $268,808 | 26.5% | 57.0 |
| 2000 | 120,937 | $85,603 | $306,220 | 33.2% | 60.6 |
| 2010 | 162,233 | $79,533 | $418,480 | 37.4% | 64.0 |
| 2020 | 187,117 | $86,576 | $375,247 | 42.0% | 62.9 |
| 2024 | 195,289 | $86,573 | $455,600 | 46.0% | 63.3 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
Drill deeper
Places similar to Beaufort County
DeSoto County
Pop 197,918
York County
Pop 222,434
Santa Rosa County
Pop 211,115
Kootenai County
Pop 191,864
Places similar to Beaufort CountyHead to head
Compare Beaufort County to nearby counties
BEAUFORT COUNTY VS
Jasper County
Income$65,613−24%
Home value$325,500−29%
Population38,533−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BEAUFORT COUNTY VS
Colleton County
Income$51,114−41%
Home value$162,500−64%
Population39,382−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BEAUFORT COUNTY VS
Chatham County
Income$71,097−18%
Home value$302,700−34%
Population311,855+53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BEAUFORT COUNTY VS
Effingham County
Income$88,438+2%
Home value$276,000−39%
Population74,397−64%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
Beaufort County, South Carolina has about 195,289 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
The typical household in Beaufort County, South Carolina earns about $86,573 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Beaufort County, South Carolina expensive?
In Beaufort County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $455,600, and the typical rent is about $1,653 a month.
How educated are people in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
About 46.0% of adults age 25 and over in Beaufort County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
About 9.6% of people in Beaufort County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.
Has Beaufort County, South Carolina grown since 1990?
Yes, Beaufort County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 108,864 residents, a change of about 126 percent over that period.
Keep going
Explore from here
43 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 21.03Census Tract 21.06Census Tract 21.07Census Tract 21.02Census Tract 9.02Census Tract 21.10Census Tract 5.02Census Tract 22.01Census Tract 5.01Census Tract 5.03Census Tract 7Census Tract 104Census Tract 8Census Tract 2Census Tract 21.05Census Tract 10Census Tract 22.02Census Tract 107Census Tract 21.08Census Tract 10514 ZIP codes
ZIP 29910ZIP 29906ZIP 29926ZIP 29909ZIP 29902ZIP 29928ZIP 29907ZIP 29920ZIP 29935ZIP 29940ZIP 29905ZIP 29904ZIP 29915ZIP 29941Up the hierarchy
All counties in South CarolinaDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024