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STATE · ADMITTED 1788

South Carolina

5,296,225 residents · 46 counties · 475 cities · 1,323 census tracts
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Notable rankings
#5Fastest growingof 51+3.5%#9Highest homeownership rateof 5171.9%
The short version

South Carolina has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $69,324. Population has grown 32% since 2000. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $259,000.

SC
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
5,296,225
+32%since 2000
from 4,012,012 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Population density
176 / sq mi
+20%since 2009
from 147 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.2
+14%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Population, 1990 – 2024
3.3M3.8M4.4M4.9M5.5M1990201020202024South Carolina
20245.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(289,529)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(311,916)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.2%(329,236)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(350,189)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(338,277)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.8%(680,500)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.5%(661,884)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412%(637,500)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.2%(697,793)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.4%(606,031)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(299,418)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(93,952)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$69,324
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,082 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,236
+109%since 2000
from $18,795 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.3%
+21.0 ptssince 2009
from 25.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
14.1%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 14.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.475
+3%since 2010
from 0.461 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade13.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration4.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$259,000
+71%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $83,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,180
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $510 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
71.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 72.2% in 2000
28.1% rent
Vacancy rate
13.3%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 16.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
19.2%
−5.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2009
from 41.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.7
+27%since 2009
from 2.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
RELATED:See current rent listings in South Carolina on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic66.1%(2,652,291)
Black29.4%(1,178,486)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(95,076)
Asian0.9%(35,568)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic61.9%(3,277,983)
Black24.6%(1,302,215)
Hispanic / Latino7.4%(390,376)
Asian1.7%(92,552)
Other4.4%(233,099)
Diversity Score
69
+11%since 2009
from 62 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.4%(177,453)
Central American1.1%(59,266)
Puerto Rican1%(54,499)
South American0.9%(45,296)
Honduran0.4%(21,805)
Colombian0.4%(21,797)
Guatemalan0.3%(17,718)
Cuban0.3%(14,899)
Salvadoran0.2%(8,662)
Venezuelan0.2%(8,612)
Spaniard0.1%(7,650)
Dominican0.1%(7,601)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0.1%(4,533)
Ecuadorian0.1%(4,403)
Peruvian0.1%(3,601)
Nicaraguan0.1%(3,518)
Costa Rican0.1%(2,911)
Argentine0%(2,529)
Chilean0%(1,510)
Bolivian0%(1,402)
Uruguayan0%(1,296)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(30,293)
Filipino0.3%(16,156)
Chinese0.3%(13,261)
Vietnamese0.2%(10,145)
Korean0.1%(6,152)
Japanese0.1%(3,040)
Laotian0%(1,690)
Hmong0%(1,667)
Cambodian0%(1,515)
Thai0%(1,406)
Pakistani0%(1,311)
Burmese0%(1,049)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(961)
Nepalese0%(682)
Sri Lankan0%(394)
Indonesian0%(296)
Uzbek0%(145)
Mongolian0%(86)
Kazakh0%(60)
Malaysian0%(35)
Mien0%(20)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(1,719)
Samoan0%(1,349)
Fijian0%(209)
Guamanian0%(184)
Tongan0%(43)
Chuukese0%(15)
Ancestry
English12.1%(642,871)
German9.4%(495,222)
Irish9.1%(480,662)
American8.3%(437,159)
Italian3.4%(178,975)
Scottish2.2%(114,392)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(91,348)
Polish1.5%(81,249)
French1.5%(79,515)
Subsaharan African0.9%(46,535)
Dutch0.6%(31,433)
Swedish0.5%(25,767)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.4%(23,736)
Norwegian0.4%(22,536)
West Indian0.4%(22,260)
Russian0.4%(20,881)
British0.4%(19,802)
Arab0.3%(17,556)
Greek0.3%(17,020)
Ukrainian0.3%(16,614)
French Canadian0.3%(15,950)
Jamaican0.2%(12,021)
Hungarian0.2%(11,793)
Portuguese0.2%(10,125)
Czech0.2%(9,212)
Swiss0.2%(8,119)
Danish0.1%(7,252)
Austrian0.1%(7,014)
Lebanese0.1%(6,908)
Finnish0.1%(6,700)
Canadian0.1%(6,328)
Brazilian0.1%(5,667)
Romanian0.1%(5,225)
Slovak0.1%(4,861)
Haitian0.1%(4,675)
Lithuanian0.1%(4,530)
Nigerian0.1%(4,479)
Croatian0.1%(4,140)
Belgian0%(2,625)
Iranian0%(2,451)
Armenian0%(2,421)
Egyptian0%(2,167)
Turkish0%(2,069)
Serbian0%(1,668)
Moroccan0%(1,382)
Slovene0%(1,291)
Kenyan0%(1,275)
Bulgarian0%(1,247)
Australian0%(1,193)
Syrian0%(1,172)
Ghanaian0%(1,152)
Ethiopian0%(1,081)
Israeli0%(1,055)
Iraqi0%(959)
Guyanese0%(896)
Latvian0%(562)
Barbadian0%(301)
Jordanian0%(259)
Macedonian0%(204)
Somali0%(44)
RANKED:Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.1%
+11.7 ptssince 2000
from 20.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.1%
+13.8 ptssince 2000
from 76.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
12.3%
+5.5 ptssince 2000
from 6.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.6 min
+59%since 2000
from 16.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.3%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.5%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.5%
+7.9 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−5.3 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2011
from 62.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
12.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.0%
−23.3 ptssince 2009
from 62.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
5.8%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.3%
−39.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2012
from 13.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
9.6%
−73.8 ptssince 2013
from 83.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.8%
+16.4 ptssince 2017
from 72.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
91.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2016
from 93.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2016
from 4.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35%(734,610)
Married52.9%(1,111,656)
Widowed3.1%(65,638)
Divorced9%(189,956)
Women 15+
Never married30.1%(680,779)
Married48.7%(1,103,392)
Widowed9.5%(214,591)
Divorced11.7%(264,922)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 02

Largest cities

1.Charleston159,423
2.Columbia147,035
3.North Charleston129,245
4.Mount Pleasant95,469
5.Rock Hill75,911
6.Greenville75,310
7.Summerville53,177
8.Goose Creek52,010
9.Greer50,007
10.Sumter43,094
11.Florence41,231
12.Myrtle Beach40,937
Frequently asked

How many people live in South Carolina?

South Carolina has about 5,296,225 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in South Carolina?

The typical household in South Carolina earns about $69,324 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is South Carolina expensive?

In South Carolina, the median home is worth about $259,000, and the typical rent is about $1,180 a month.

How educated are people in South Carolina?

About 32.1% of adults age 25 and over in South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in South Carolina?

About 14.1% of people in South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 1,809,522 residents, a change of about 52 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

Largest cities
CharlestonColumbiaNorth CharlestonMount PleasantRock HillGreenvilleSummervilleGoose Creek
All 46 counties
Greenville CountyCharleston CountyRichland CountyHorry CountySpartanburg CountyLexington CountyYork CountyBerkeley CountyAnderson CountyBeaufort CountyAiken CountyDorchester CountyPickens CountyFlorence CountyLancaster CountySumter CountyOconee CountyOrangeburg CountyKershaw CountyLaurens CountyGreenwood CountyGeorgetown CountyDarlington CountyCherokee CountyChesterfield CountyNewberry CountyColleton CountyJasper CountyChester CountyClarendon CountyEdgefield CountyWilliamsburg CountyMarion CountyDillon CountyUnion CountyMarlboro CountyAbbeville CountyBarnwell CountyFairfield CountySaluda CountyHampton CountyLee CountyCalhoun CountyBamberg CountyMcCormick CountyAllendale County
Metro areas
GreenvilleCharlestonColumbiaMyrtle BeachSpartanburgHilton Head IslandFlorenceSumterGreenwoodSenecaOrangeburgMurrells Inlet
Rankings
Highest income cities in South CarolinaFastest growing citiesAll US state rankings

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

How we source and harmonize this data →