Orangeburg County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Orangeburg 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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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 82% of counties in South Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 83,253 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 73.9 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.93% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 33,077 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Orangeburg County declined by 7.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 83,253 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Orangeburg County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.4% of residents. That is 1.3 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,679 22.4% +1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,309 17.2% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,581 19.9% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 17,363 20.9% +2.4 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 53.1% of the people living in Orangeburg County and men 46.9%.
- Women 53.1% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 46.9% South Carolina 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Orangeburg County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Orangeburg County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,561 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.49% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Orangeburg County is about 34% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $97,595 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $841 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.0% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Orangeburg County is about 9.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $841 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Orangeburg 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 191 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.9 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.8 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 191 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,918 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,530 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 613 | 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 Orangeburg 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
Orangeburg County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.8% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 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
Orangeburg County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Orangeburg County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.4% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 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).
Orangeburg County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Orangeburg County, SC is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 83,253 residents against a local median of 166,443. Where Orangeburg County, SC breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 52% below the local median of $202,900 at $97,595.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $45,561 against a local median of $64,219, 29% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Orangeburg County, SC is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within $44,855 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Orangeburg County, SC, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Orangeburg County, SC has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orangeburg County, SC | 83,253 | $45,561 #4/4 | $97,595 #4/4 | 22.9 min #2/4 |
| Dorchester County, SC | 166,443 | $78,650 | $229,758 | 30.3 min |
| Richland County, SC | 422,111 | $64,219 | $184,903 | 20.9 min |
| Colleton County, SC | 38,792 | $51,815 | $202,900 | 30.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Orangeburg County, South Carolina.
How many people live in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
About 83,253 people live in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, in 33,077 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Orangeburg County, South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Orangeburg County, South Carolina has 74 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Orangeburg County, South Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($97,595 against $45,561), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $841 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
Unemployment in Orangeburg County, South Carolina is 8.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
16.8% of adults in Orangeburg County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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