Beaufort County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Beaufort County, SC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthiest county in South Carolina
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in South Carolina
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 195,246 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 211.6 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.32% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.5 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 82,312 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Beaufort County grew by 31.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 195,246 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Beaufort County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 26.2% of residents. That is 7.7 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 39,016 20.0% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 32,247 16.5% -4.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,877 18.9% -1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 51,106 26.2% +7.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below South Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Beaufort County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 49.6% South Carolina 48.8%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Beaufort County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Beaufort County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,120 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.07% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Beaufort County is about 27% higher than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $356,655 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,653 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.9% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Beaufort County is about 18.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,653 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Beaufort County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 169 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.2 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.5 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 169 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,230 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.2% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,635 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,667 | 1,499 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
South Carolina:
Greenwood County (16.5 min), Sumter County (18.2 min), Florence County (18.3 min).
Slowest:
McCormick County (33.9 min), Fairfield County (30.8 min), Chester County (30.6 min).
The average commute time in Beaufort County is 20 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in South Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Beaufort County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.5% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
South Carolina:
Charleston County (0.4), Beaufort County (0.3), Richland County (0.3).
Lowest:
Allendale County (0.1), Marlboro County (0.2), Chesterfield County (0.2).
Health
Beaufort County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Beaufort County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.5% | 21.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
South Carolina:
Beaufort County (0.8), Charleston County (0.8), Dorchester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Dillon County (0.8), Allendale County (0.8), Marlboro County (0.8).
Beaufort County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Beaufort County, SC is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 195,246 residents against a local median of 53,967. The measure that sets Beaufort County, SC apart most is median home price: $356,655, 50% above the local median of $237,060.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.2 min against a local median of 30.4 min, 33% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Beaufort County, SC is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread $87,127 on median home price, so Beaufort County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Beaufort County, SC has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County, SC | 195,246 | $88,120 #2/5 | $356,655 #1/5 | 20.2 min #1/5 |
| Jasper County, SC | 32,186 | $65,115 | $275,000 | 30.3 min |
| Colleton County, SC | 38,792 | $51,815 | $202,900 | 30.5 min |
| Chatham County, GA | 300,892 | $71,349 | $271,220 | 21.0 min |
| Effingham County, GA | 69,143 | $89,617 | $187,873 | 31.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Beaufort County, South Carolina.
How many people live in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
About 195,246 people live in Beaufort County, South Carolina, in 82,312 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Beaufort County, South Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Beaufort County, South Carolina has 212 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
The median home costs 4.0 times the median household income ($356,655 against $88,120), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,653 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
Unemployment in Beaufort County, South Carolina is only 2.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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