CensusEasy
STATE · ADMITTED 1788 · 1990 CENSUS

South Carolina

3,486,703 residents · 46 counties · 475 cities · 30,061 sq mi · 1,323 census tracts
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The short version

South Carolina is home to 3,486,703 people. Median home value sits at $60,700. 70% of homes are owner-occupied. There are 525,309 fewer people here than in 2000. 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household earns $26,256, about 13% below the national median.

SC
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
3,486,703
−13%vs 2000
vs 4,012,012 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Median age
32.1
−9%vs 2000
vs 35.4 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
30,061 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
3.3M3.8M4.4M4.9M5.5M19902000201020202024South Carolina
20245.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.3%(255,164)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 97.3%(255,987)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 147.3%(255,281)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 197.9%(277,145)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.9%(275,536)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3417.1%(596,534)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4415.1%(526,103)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5410.3%(357,747)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.3%(291,077)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 747.1%(248,097)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 843.4%(118,575)
US avg: 4%
85 and over0.8%(29,457)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$26,256
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $37,082 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$11,897
−37%vs 2000
vs $18,795 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
15.4%
+1.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 14.1% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$60,700
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $83,100 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$376
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $510 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
69.9%
−2.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 72.2% in 2000
30.1% rent
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%
1990
White, non-Hispanic69.1%(2,407,683)
Black29.8%(1,040,010)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(28,334)
Asian0.6%(21,298)
Other0.5%(17,712)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
16.6%
−3.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 20.4% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
68.3%
−8.0 ptsvs 2000
vs 76.3% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
5.4%
−1.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 6.9% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.4 min
+20%vs 2000
vs 16.1 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
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 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
9.6%
−7.0 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
51.4%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 52.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 20.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 19.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.2%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 3.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 66.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.4%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 37.4% 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)27.3%(93,891)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.9%(92,365)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.4%(114,813)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.6%(12,223)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(2,032)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 343,824 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
Section 02

Largest cities

See all cities in South Carolina →
1.Charleston159,423
2.Columbia147,035
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
13.Spartanburg39,978
14.Fort Mill38,673
16.Bluffton36,807
17.Aiken33,808
18.Mauldin31,465
19.Anderson31,323
20.Conway30,627
21.Simpsonville28,459
22.Easley27,319
23.North Augusta26,982
25.Lexington25,729
26.Taylors24,505
27.Socastee23,796
28.Greenwood22,745
29.Hanahan22,415
31.Wade Hampton20,898
32.Moncks Corner20,612
33.St. Andrews19,868
34.Clemson18,941
35.Five Forks18,656
36.West Columbia18,489
37.Berea16,862
38.Port Royal16,648
39.Hardeeville16,459
40.Ladson16,140
41.Lake Wylie16,006
42.Seven Oaks15,921
43.Red Hill15,920
44.Beaufort15,775
45.Gantt15,401
Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (8)
1.Greenville1,014,101
2.Charleston889,263
3.Columbia879,918
4.Myrtle Beach427,551
5.Spartanburg407,656
7.Florence201,392
8.Sumter105,067
Micropolitan areas (6)
1.Greenwood95,215
2.Seneca83,775
3.Orangeburg83,177
5.Gaffney58,275
6.Newberry39,561

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

Frequently asked

How many people live in South Carolina?

South Carolina has about 3,486,703 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in South Carolina?

The typical household in South Carolina earns about $26,256 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 $60,700, and the typical rent is about $376 a month.

How educated are people in South Carolina?

About 16.6% 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 15.4% of people in South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →