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COUNTY

Colleton County

South Carolina · 39,382 residents (2025 est.) · 1,056 sq mi
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The short version

With 38,783 people, Colleton County is a county in South Carolina. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 17% of adults. The typical home is worth $162,500, having more than doubled since 2000. The foreign-born share is 3%. Households here earn about 26% less than in South Carolina as a whole. There are 37 people per square mile.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 43%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
38,783
+1%since 2000
from 38,264 in 2000
39,382 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
37 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 37 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.0
+15%since 2000
from 36.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,056 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
34K35K37K38K40K19902000201020202024Colleton County
202439K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(2,107)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.7%(2,971)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.2%(2,020)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(2,357)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.5%(2,136)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.1%(4,700)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.4%(4,409)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.6%(4,492)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.6%(5,662)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.5%(4,866)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.3%(2,429)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(634)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$51,114
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $29,733 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,122
+96%since 2000
from $14,831 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
33.6%
+19.5 ptssince 2009
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
19.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2000
from 21.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.465
+3%since 2010
from 0.450 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade12.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade12.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Information11.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Public administration2%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services1.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$162,500
+43%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $62,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$949
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $405 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
73.3%
−7.0 ptssince 2000
from 80.3% in 2000
26.7% rent
Vacancy rate
18.3%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.33 people
−12%since 2009
from 2.64 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.8%
−7.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.2%
+8.8 ptssince 2009
from 33.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
+18%since 2009
from 2.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
48
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic55.1%(21,081)
Black41.9%(16,021)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(551)
Asian0.2%(94)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic56.5%(21,908)
Black33.6%(13,048)
Hispanic / Latino4.6%(1,767)
Asian0.4%(172)
Other4.9%(1,888)
Diversity Score
70
+7%since 2009
from 66 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
26
+1%since 2020
from 26 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
Mexican3.5%(1,341)
Puerto Rican0.5%(178)
Nicaraguan0.4%(144)
Honduran0.1%(32)
Spaniard0%(11)
Cuban0%(9)
Asian origin
Filipino0.2%(88)
Asian Indian0.2%(60)
Korean0%(11)
Chinese0%(5)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
American8.8%(3,421)
English8.8%(3,402)
Irish8.3%(3,225)
German6.9%(2,689)
French1.4%(556)
Italian1.4%(552)
Scottish1.4%(534)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(306)
Polish0.5%(201)
Portuguese0.4%(159)
Welsh0.4%(155)
+ 25 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.3%(98)
Norwegian0.1%(53)
Arab0.1%(50)
Syrian0.1%(43)
Swiss0.1%(43)
Czech0.1%(41)
Hungarian0.1%(36)
British0.1%(35)
Swedish0.1%(32)
Danish0.1%(31)
Slovene0%(17)
Austrian0%(13)
Greek0%(12)
Finnish0%(11)
Jamaican0%(11)
Croatian0%(10)
Ukrainian0%(10)
Russian0%(9)
Slovak0%(3)
Belgian0%(2)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
17.4%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
84.7%
+15.1 ptssince 2000
from 69.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
34.9 min
+37%since 2000
from 25.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 80.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.6%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.3%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
10.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
9.9%
−5.4 ptssince 2011
from 15.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
55.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 56.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
67.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 69.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.4%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 17.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
27.5%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 47.9% in 2009
Female
52.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 52.1% in 2009
Foreign born
3.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
9.0%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
20.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2012
from 19.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
15.0%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 19.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
84.8%
+11.2 ptssince 2017
from 73.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
89.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 89.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.2%
−3.7 ptssince 2020
from 96.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
94.8%
−1.8 ptssince 2016
from 96.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 2.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.5%(5,493)
Married44.6%(6,707)
Widowed4.2%(634)
Divorced14.7%(2,206)
Women 15+
Never married31.1%(5,170)
Married43.3%(7,202)
Widowed12.7%(2,106)
Divorced13%(2,167)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
15.0%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 19.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
36.8%
−6.1 ptssince 2020
from 42.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.9%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 12.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 21.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
29.6%
+4.9 ptssince 2020
from 24.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 2.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
50.6%
−4.5 ptssince 2020
from 55.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
48.1%
+4.4 ptssince 2020
from 43.7% 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)21%(564)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.9%(669)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.1%(1,052)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.9%(105)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(11)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,692 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
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Head to head

Compare Colleton County to nearby counties

COLLETON COUNTY VS
Dorchester County
Income$78,198+53%
Home value$329,300+103%
Population178,397+353%
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COLLETON COUNTY VS
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Income$44,711−13%
Home value$112,000−31%
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COLLETON COUNTY VS
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Income$44,370−13%
Home value$97,800−40%
Population12,796−68%
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COLLETON COUNTY VS
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Income$86,573+69%
Home value$455,600+180%
Population204,433+419%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Colleton County, South Carolina?

Colleton County, South Carolina has about 38,783 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Colleton County, South Carolina?

The typical household in Colleton County, South Carolina earns about $51,114 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Colleton County, South Carolina expensive?

In Colleton County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $162,500, and the typical rent is about $949 a month.

How educated are people in Colleton County, South Carolina?

About 17.4% of adults age 25 and over in Colleton County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Colleton County, South Carolina?

About 19.6% of people in Colleton County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Colleton County, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Colleton County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,406 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →