Laurens County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Laurens 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 68,664 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 95.0 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.41% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,959 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Laurens County declined by 1.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 68,664 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Laurens County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.4 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,996 20.4% -0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,491 19.6% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,840 21.6% +1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,776 18.6% +0.1 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 51.4% of the people living in Laurens County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 48.6% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Laurens County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Laurens County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,581 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.76% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Laurens County is about 17% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $82,578 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $879 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.5% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Laurens County is about 7.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $879 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Laurens County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 192 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.0 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.0 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 192 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,937 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,075 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 893 | 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 Laurens County is 23 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
Laurens County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.7% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.46 | 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
Laurens County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Laurens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.3% | 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).
Laurens County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Laurens County, SC is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 68,664 residents against a local median of 38,435. Where Laurens County, SC breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 53% below the local median of $175,928 at $82,578.
The counties themselves spread $141,887 on median home price, so Laurens County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Laurens County, SC has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, SC | 68,664 | $57,581 #3/6 | $82,578 #5/6 | 23.0 min #6/6 |
| Greenwood County, SC | 69,502 | $52,644 | $82,557 | 16.5 min |
| Union County, SC | 26,885 | $41,432 | $189,062 | 22.0 min |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 347,752 | $66,222 | $158,720 | 22.2 min |
| Newberry County, SC | 38,435 | $62,057 | $224,444 | 21.9 min |
| Abbeville County, SC | 24,414 | $52,912 | $175,928 | 22.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Laurens County, South Carolina.
What is the population of Laurens County, South Carolina?
About 68,664 people live in Laurens County, South Carolina, in 26,959 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Laurens County, South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Laurens County, South Carolina has 95 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Laurens County, South Carolina?
The median home costs 1.4 times the median household income ($82,578 against $57,581), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $879 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Laurens County, South Carolina have a college degree?
16.7% of adults in Laurens County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →