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COUNTY

Laurens County

South Carolina · 71,848 residents (2025 est.) · 713 sq mi
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The short version

With 68,666 people, Laurens County is a county in South Carolina. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 18% of adults. The typical home is worth $170,600, having more than doubled since 2000. The foreign-born share is 4%. Median rent is $880 a month. Households take in $57,623 at the median, 30% less than the US figure.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 39%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
68,666
−1%since 2000
from 69,567 in 2000
71,848 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
96 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 98 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.9
+13%since 2000
from 36.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
713 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
57K60K64K67K71K19902000201020202024Laurens County
202469K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(3,832)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97%(4,790)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.4%(3,705)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(4,337)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(4,087)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.7%(8,731)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.5%(7,904)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.5%(8,557)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.9%(9,567)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.5%(7,917)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.9%(4,056)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(1,183)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$57,623
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,933 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,695
+82%since 2000
from $15,761 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
37.2%
+20.2 ptssince 2009
from 17.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
18.1%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.430
+3%since 2010
from 0.416 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade21.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services4%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$170,600
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $67,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$880
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $448 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
71.5%
−6.0 ptssince 2000
from 77.5% in 2000
28.5% rent
Vacancy rate
15.8%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 17.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.46 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.51 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.3%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 21.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
38.1%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 41.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.0
+31%since 2009
from 2.3 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
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic71%(49,358)
Black26.1%(18,172)
Hispanic / Latino1.9%(1,352)
Asian0.1%(97)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic65.8%(45,157)
Black22.9%(15,724)
Hispanic / Latino6.7%(4,614)
Asian0.6%(403)
Other4%(2,768)
Diversity Score
64
+14%since 2009
from 56 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
28
+3%since 2020
from 27 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%(2,433)
Guatemalan1%(685)
Puerto Rican0.8%(532)
Panamanian0.3%(173)
Colombian0.2%(127)
Cuban0.2%(116)
Honduran0.1%(51)
Spaniard0.1%(43)
Dominican0.1%(38)
Venezuelan0.1%(35)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Chinese0.2%(148)
Asian Indian0.2%(104)
Filipino0.1%(80)
Vietnamese0.1%(39)
Thai0%(25)
Hmong0%(20)
Laotian0%(1)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(15)
Ancestry
English11.2%(7,695)
American9.8%(6,753)
Irish8.4%(5,771)
German6.8%(4,690)
Scotch-Irish2%(1,407)
Scottish1.8%(1,235)
Italian1.7%(1,194)
French1%(699)
Polish0.8%(523)
Czech0.6%(387)
Austrian0.5%(320)
Swedish0.4%(277)
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data
Canadian0.4%(253)
Dutch0.4%(244)
Welsh0.3%(173)
West Indian0.2%(142)
Norwegian0.1%(86)
Greek0.1%(85)
Jamaican0.1%(84)
British0.1%(71)
Hungarian0.1%(69)
Ukrainian0.1%(65)
Russian0.1%(55)
Haitian0.1%(42)
Nigerian0.1%(41)
Arab0.1%(39)
Finnish0.1%(38)
Lebanese0%(33)
Bulgarian0%(33)
Slovak0%(30)
Danish0%(22)
Swiss0%(19)
Slovene0%(17)
Croatian0%(10)
Belgian0%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
17.6%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
83.9%
+16.2 ptssince 2000
from 67.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.7%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 3.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.2 min
+62%since 2000
from 15.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
81.8%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 77.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.7%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
5.4%
+2.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.5%
−8.3 ptssince 2011
from 12.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
57.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 59.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
69.2%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 68.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 13.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
28.1%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 23.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Female
51.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Foreign born
3.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.4%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
17.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2012
from 19.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
12.4%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 17.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.1%
+21.3 ptssince 2017
from 64.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.1%
+6.4 ptssince 2020
from 84.7% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.8%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 85.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
94.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 95.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2016
from 3.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.3%(9,280)
Married53%(14,352)
Widowed3.6%(983)
Divorced9.1%(2,468)
Women 15+
Never married29.1%(8,511)
Married48.2%(14,087)
Widowed11.1%(3,244)
Divorced11.7%(3,414)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
12.4%
−4.8 ptssince 2013
from 17.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
45.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 45.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.6%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 13.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 22.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 24.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
56.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 58.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 44.0% 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)16.2%(560)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)20.7%(716)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era44.9%(1,549)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.7%(163)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(24)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,453 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
Drill deeper

Places similar to Laurens County

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Pop 71,259
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Pop 72,844
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Pop 74,094
Walker County
Pop 70,250
Places similar to Laurens County
Head to head

Compare Laurens County to nearby counties

LAURENS COUNTY VS
Greenwood County
Income$52,830−8%
Home value$180,500+6%
Population70,379−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAURENS COUNTY VS
Union County
Income$41,621−28%
Home value$103,600−39%
Population26,799−63%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAURENS COUNTY VS
Newberry County
Income$61,780+7%
Home value$173,300+2%
Population39,561−45%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAURENS COUNTY VS
Spartanburg County
Income$66,234+15%
Home value$233,300+37%
Population380,857+430%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Laurens County, South Carolina?

Laurens County, South Carolina has about 68,666 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Laurens County, South Carolina earns about $57,623 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Laurens County, South Carolina expensive?

In Laurens County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $170,600, and the typical rent is about $880 a month.

How educated are people in Laurens County, South Carolina?

About 17.6% of adults age 25 and over in Laurens County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 18.1% of people in Laurens County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Laurens County, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Laurens County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 10,574 residents, a change of about 18 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 →