Oconee County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Oconee 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 averageHealthier than 73% of counties in South Carolina
-
C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 82% of counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 80,589 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 119.6 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.82% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.9 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 34,492 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Oconee County grew by 14.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 80,589 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Oconee County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.2% of residents. That is 5.7 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 14,920 18.5% -2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,141 17.5% -3.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,556 21.8% +1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 19,469 24.2% +5.7 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 50.3% of the people living in Oconee County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 49.7% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Oconee County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Oconee County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,288 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.25% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Oconee County is about 9% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $120,098 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $880 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.2% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Oconee County is about 11.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $880 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Oconee County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.5 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.0 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 154 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,784 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,428 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 901 | 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 Oconee County is 19 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
Oconee County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.2% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.31 | 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
Oconee County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Oconee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.0 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.0% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.6% | 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).
Oconee County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Oconee County, SC is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 80,589 residents against a local median of 26,975. Oconee County, SC's median home price, at $120,098, runs 52% below the $249,438 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $158,610 on median home price, so Oconee County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Oconee County, SC has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconee County, SC | 80,589 | $63,288 #1/5 | $120,098 #5/5 | 18.5 min #2/5 |
| Stephens County, GA | 27,012 | $54,840 | $196,562 | 16.4 min |
| Pickens County, SC | 134,527 | $61,495 | $268,520 | 23.7 min |
| Franklin County, GA | 24,234 | $52,500 | $230,357 | 22.2 min |
| Hart County, GA | 26,939 | $59,345 | $355,172 | 20.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Oconee County, South Carolina.
What is the population of Oconee County, South Carolina?
About 80,589 people live in Oconee County, South Carolina, in 34,492 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 47.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Oconee County, South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Oconee County, South Carolina has 120 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Oconee County, South Carolina?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($120,098 against $63,288), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $880 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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