Lancaster County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lancaster 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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C
Health Below average
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 84% of counties in South Carolina
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 78% of counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 104,481 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 188.4 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.81% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.6 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 40,130 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lancaster County grew by 41.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 104,481 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lancaster County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 1.3 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,510 17.7% -3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 22,305 21.3% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,415 21.5% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 20,747 19.9% +1.4 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 51.0% of the people living in Lancaster County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 49.0% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lancaster County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lancaster County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,073 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.08% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lancaster County is about 17% higher than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $286,251 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $958 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.3% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lancaster County is about 24.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $958 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lancaster County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 232 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.9 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.7 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 232 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,197 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.5% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,226 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,088 | 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 Lancaster County is 28 minutes, longer 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
Lancaster County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.6% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 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
Lancaster County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lancaster County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.9 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.2% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.7% | 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).
Lancaster County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Lancaster County, SC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 104,481 residents against a local median of 43,782. Lancaster County, SC's median household income, at $81,073, runs 51% above the $53,740 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $286,251 against a local median of $244,705, 17% above it. The counties themselves spread $56,816 on median household income, so Lancaster County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lancaster County, SC has the 2nd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, SC | 104,481 | $81,073 #2/6 | $286,251 #3/6 | 27.9 min #2/6 |
| Union County, NC | 250,888 | $104,427 | $419,934 | 28.0 min |
| Kershaw County, SC | 68,312 | $69,050 | $104,062 | 30.1 min |
| Chester County, SC | 32,186 | $53,740 | $161,273 | 30.6 min |
| Fairfield County, SC | 20,550 | $47,611 | $580,357 | 30.8 min |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 43,782 | $49,072 | $244,705 | 20.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lancaster County, South Carolina.
How many people live in Lancaster County, South Carolina?
About 104,481 people live in Lancaster County, South Carolina, in 40,130 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Lancaster County, South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lancaster County, South Carolina has 188 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lancaster County, South Carolina?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($286,251 against $81,073), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $958 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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