CensusEasy
STATE · ADMITTED 1788 · 2020 ACS

South Carolina

5,118,425 residents · 46 counties · 475 cities · 30,061 sq mi · 1,323 census tracts
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The short version

South Carolina is a state of 5,118,425 people. 1,106,413 more people live here than in 2000. The foreign-born share is 5%. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $170,100. 70% of homes are owner-occupied. 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

SC
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
5,118,425
+28%since 2000
from 4,012,012 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Median age
40.5
+14%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
30,061 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
3.3M3.8M4.4M4.9M5.5M19902000201020202024South Carolina
20245.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.4%(277,144)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(304,900)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.4%(329,491)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.6%(336,539)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(327,031)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.4%(633,704)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412%(612,977)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.3%(629,922)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.6%(694,766)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.6%(595,614)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.6%(285,957)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.8%(90,380)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$54,864
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,082 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,727
+63%since 2000
from $18,795 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
36.0%
+10.7 ptssince 2009
from 25.3% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
14.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 14.1% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade13.4%
US avg: 10%
Information11.8%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade6.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$170,100
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $83,100 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$918
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $510 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
69.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 72.2% in 2000
30.3% rent
Persons per household
2.53 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.52 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.1
+5%since 2009
from 2.9 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-Hispanic66.1%(2,652,291)
Black29.4%(1,178,486)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(95,076)
Asian0.9%(35,568)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic62.1%(3,178,552)
Black24.8%(1,269,031)
Hispanic / Latino6.9%(352,838)
Asian1.7%(89,394)
Other2.8%(145,347)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3%(152,356)
Central American0.8%(42,457)
Puerto Rican0.7%(37,458)
South American0.6%(28,989)
Honduran0.3%(16,109)
Colombian0.3%(14,962)
Guatemalan0.3%(14,496)
Cuban0.2%(10,472)
Salvadoran0.1%(5,483)
Spaniard0.1%(4,823)
Dominican0.1%(4,517)
Venezuelan0.1%(3,420)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(3,055)
Costa Rican0%(2,389)
Panamanian0%(2,360)
Peruvian0%(2,238)
Argentine0%(1,654)
Nicaraguan0%(1,575)
Chilean0%(1,239)
Uruguayan0%(1,133)
Bolivian0%(803)
Paraguayan0%(191)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.4%(20,934)
Chinese0.3%(15,521)
Filipino0.3%(14,444)
Vietnamese0.2%(9,938)
Korean0.1%(6,049)
Japanese0.1%(3,080)
Hmong0%(1,941)
Thai0%(1,912)
Laotian0%(1,658)
Cambodian0%(1,614)
Pakistani0%(1,350)
Burmese0%(915)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(715)
Nepalese0%(167)
Indonesian0%(144)
Mongolian0%(102)
Malaysian0%(38)
Okinawan0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(2,731)
Chamorro0%(1,416)
Samoan0%(521)
Fijian0%(13)
Ancestry
American10.2%(517,612)
German9.3%(471,940)
English9%(460,300)
Irish8.6%(435,703)
Italian3%(153,895)
Scottish2.2%(114,376)
Scotch-Irish2.2%(114,048)
French1.6%(81,741)
Polish1.5%(74,757)
Dutch0.7%(36,482)
British0.7%(33,201)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.5%(26,677)
Swedish0.5%(23,408)
Norwegian0.4%(21,655)
Russian0.4%(20,430)
West Indian0.4%(18,246)
French Canadian0.4%(18,102)
Greek0.3%(15,071)
Hungarian0.3%(12,840)
Ukrainian0.2%(12,208)
Jamaican0.2%(9,479)
Portuguese0.2%(8,889)
Czech0.2%(8,517)
Swiss0.2%(8,029)
Austrian0.1%(7,329)
Danish0.1%(7,310)
Canadian0.1%(7,091)
Lebanese0.1%(5,471)
Finnish0.1%(5,041)
Lithuanian0.1%(4,975)
Slovak0.1%(4,695)
Romanian0.1%(4,364)
Brazilian0.1%(4,100)
Haitian0.1%(3,309)
Croatian0.1%(2,804)
Belgian0.1%(2,754)
Nigerian0%(1,853)
Armenian0%(1,839)
Iranian0%(1,776)
Egyptian0%(1,681)
Turkish0%(1,675)
Syrian0%(1,600)
Israeli0%(1,351)
Serbian0%(1,325)
Slovene0%(1,096)
Bulgarian0%(926)
Iraqi0%(896)
Latvian0%(774)
Australian0%(760)
Moroccan0%(705)
Arab0%(693)
Ethiopian0%(646)
Guyanese0%(569)
Barbadian0%(547)
Kenyan0%(541)
Macedonian0%(377)
Ghanaian0%(253)
Jordanian0%(186)
Somali0%(58)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
29.0%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 20.4% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
88.3%
+12.0 ptssince 2000
from 76.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
10.8%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 6.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.1 min
+56%since 2000
from 16.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
81.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.5%
−4.7 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
60.4%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 62.4% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
35.8%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 31.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
5.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
10.4%
−6.2 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.2%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
10.4%
−6.2 ptssince 2013
from 16.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
52.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.7%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
20.3%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
19.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
3.2%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
66.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
37.4%
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)21.3%(76,862)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)24.6%(88,826)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era36.9%(133,143)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6%(21,613)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.7%(6,098)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 360,355 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 5,118,425 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in South Carolina?

The typical household in South Carolina earns about $54,864 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 $170,100, and the typical rent is about $918 a month.

How educated are people in South Carolina?

About 29.0% 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 14.7% 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 1,631,722 residents, a change of about 47 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 →