South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
South Carolina Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 80% of states in the US
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 78% of states in the US
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C
Education Below averageLess educated than 76% of states in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in South Carolina grew by 19.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,295,781 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in South Carolina is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.1% of residents. That is 0.3 points below the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,119,683 21.1% -0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,111,403 21.0% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,067,978 20.2% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 978,217 18.5% +1.6 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 the US, 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 51.2% of the people living in South Carolina and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% the US 50.5%
- Men 48.8% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in South Carolina
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
South Carolina has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in South Carolina is about 14% lower than in US.
Housing
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in South Carolina is about 16.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,179 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in South Carolina spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 South Carolina is about the same as in US.
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
South Carolina has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
South Carolina has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | South Carolina | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
South Carolina Compared With Nearby States
South Carolina is the 5th largest of the 6 states compared here, 5,295,781 residents against a local median of 10,724,323. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest states, which makes South Carolina an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 7% below the local median at $69,383 against $74,580. South Carolina has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 5,295,781 | $69,383 #5/6 | $239,609 #5/6 | 22.3 min #3/6 |
| North Carolina | 10,724,323 | $72,438 | $278,288 | 21.9 min |
| Georgia | 10,939,918 | $77,523 | $256,986 | 23.6 min |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | $93,527 | $256,082 | 23.2 min |
| West Virginia | 1,778,099 | $59,640 | $94,699 | 21.6 min |
| Florida | 22,388,905 | $74,580 | $311,338 | 24.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about South Carolina.
What is the population of South Carolina?
About 5,295,781 people live in South Carolina, in 2,118,015 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, South Carolina has 165 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in South Carolina?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($239,609 against $69,383), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,179 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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