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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Pickens County

South Carolina · 131,404 residents · 497 sq mi
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The short version

With 131,404 people, Pickens County is a county in South Carolina. The foreign-born share is 3%. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $159,200. The population is up 19% since 2000. 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median rent is $786 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 36.0
US median: 38.8
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
131,404
+19%since 2000
from 110,757 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
36.0
+10%since 2000
from 32.7 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
497 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
90K102K114K126K139K19902000201020202024Pickens County
2024135K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.8%(6,272)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95%(6,634)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.4%(7,143)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 1910%(13,104)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2412.1%(15,944)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3411.6%(15,273)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4410%(13,122)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.2%(14,660)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412.5%(16,485)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410%(13,191)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.4%(7,099)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.9%(2,477)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$51,032
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,214 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,382
+63%since 2000
from $17,434 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
33.5%
+10.9 ptssince 2009
from 22.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
16.4%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 13.7% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade14.6%
US avg: 10%
Information10.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade7.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5%
US avg: 5.5%
Other services4%
US avg: 6.6%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration2.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services2%
US avg: 0.8%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$159,200
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,800 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$786
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $479 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
66.9%
−6.6 ptssince 2000
from 73.5% in 2000
33.1% rent
Persons per household
2.45 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.1
+10%since 2009
from 2.8 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.3%(98,961)
Black6.8%(7,517)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(1,879)
Asian1.2%(1,301)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic81.6%(107,247)
Black6.4%(8,421)
Hispanic / Latino5%(6,572)
Asian2.1%(2,723)
Other2.3%(3,038)
Segregation Score
29
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
Mexican1.3%(1,681)
Puerto Rican0.6%(779)
Cuban0.5%(635)
Guatemalan0.4%(502)
Colombian0.2%(205)
Salvadoran0.1%(186)
Honduran0.1%(105)
Dominican0.1%(91)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Chinese0.7%(821)
Asian Indian0.6%(767)
Filipino0.3%(362)
Korean0.1%(159)
Burmese0.1%(75)
Japanese0%(47)
Taiwanese0%(23)
Malaysian0%(16)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Hmong0%(1)
Ancestry
English12.9%(16,210)
Irish11.3%(14,136)
American10.6%(13,246)
German10.5%(13,111)
Italian3.2%(3,954)
Scotch-Irish2.6%(3,258)
Scottish2.5%(3,078)
Polish2%(2,471)
French1.9%(2,363)
British0.8%(1,017)
Dutch0.6%(789)
Swedish0.6%(730)
+ 39 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.5%(632)
Norwegian0.5%(627)
Greek0.4%(492)
Russian0.4%(460)
Portuguese0.2%(280)
Swiss0.2%(234)
Czech0.2%(202)
West Indian0.2%(200)
Hungarian0.2%(192)
Iranian0.1%(180)
Danish0.1%(160)
Macedonian0.1%(160)
Lithuanian0.1%(121)
Croatian0.1%(115)
Slovak0.1%(115)
Austrian0.1%(110)
Finnish0.1%(102)
Canadian0.1%(92)
Egyptian0.1%(86)
Lebanese0.1%(79)
Serbian0.1%(65)
Bulgarian0.1%(64)
Iraqi0%(60)
Slovene0%(43)
Romanian0%(42)
Belgian0%(36)
Brazilian0%(32)
Turkish0%(29)
Syrian0%(23)
Jamaican0%(19)
Armenian0%(17)
Israeli0%(12)
Haitian0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.8%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 19.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
86.2%
+12.6 ptssince 2000
from 73.7% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.7 min
+65%since 2000
from 16.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
80.1%
−3.8 ptssince 2009
from 83.8% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.6%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−5.2 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
57.8%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 59.6% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
69.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
37.9%
+4.3 ptssince 2009
from 33.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
50.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
3.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.9% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
8.6%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 13.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
88.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
81.9%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.2%(22,260)
Married50.3%(28,521)
Widowed2.3%(1,312)
Divorced8.2%(4,624)
Women 15+
Never married32.8%(18,867)
Married47%(27,083)
Widowed9.9%(5,720)
Divorced10.3%(5,934)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.6%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 13.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
54.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
17.1%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
16.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.2%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
32.8%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.7%(1,005)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)18.7%(1,281)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era40.1%(2,744)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.7%(530)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.2%(152)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 6,851 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

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Pop 131,647
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Head to head

Compare Pickens County to nearby counties

PICKENS COUNTY VS
Greenville County
Income$76,932+51%
Home value$299,000+88%
Population583,125+319%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PICKENS COUNTY VS
Oconee County
Income$62,388+22%
Home value$237,100+49%
Population83,775−40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PICKENS COUNTY VS
Transylvania County
Income$66,184+30%
Home value$373,600+135%
Population34,211−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PICKENS COUNTY VS
Anderson County
Income$66,651+31%
Home value$231,900+46%
Population219,930+58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Pickens County, South Carolina?

Pickens County, South Carolina has about 131,404 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Pickens County, South Carolina earns about $51,032 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Pickens County, South Carolina expensive?

In Pickens County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $159,200, and the typical rent is about $786 a month.

How educated are people in Pickens County, South Carolina?

About 26.8% of adults age 25 and over in Pickens County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 16.4% of people in Pickens County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Pickens County, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Pickens County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 37,510 residents, a change of about 40 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 →