Pickens County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pickens 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 89% of counties in South Carolina
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 80% of counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 134,527 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 262.4 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.35% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.9 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 52,424 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pickens County grew by 15.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 134,527 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pickens County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 29.1% of residents. That is 8.0 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 39,185 29.1% +8.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 24,177 18.0% -3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 25,166 18.7% -1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 22,550 16.8% -1.7 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 49.7% of the people living in Pickens County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 50.3% South Carolina 48.8%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pickens County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pickens County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,495 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.35% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pickens County is about 11% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $268,520 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $971 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.9% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pickens County is about 23.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $971 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pickens County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 197 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.3 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 197 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,112 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,024 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,431 | 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 Pickens County is 24 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
Pickens County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.9% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.41 | 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
Pickens County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pickens County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.2% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 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).
Pickens County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Pickens County, SC is typical in size for this group, 134,527 residents against a local median of 118,522, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nothing separates Pickens County, SC sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 12% above the local median at 23.7 min against 21.0 min. Pickens County, SC has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County, SC | 134,527 | $61,495 #6/6 | $268,520 #4/6 | 23.7 min #6/6 |
| Transylvania County, NC | 33,685 | $65,479 | $378,378 | 18.3 min |
| Greenville County, SC | 547,972 | $77,038 | $281,622 | 21.6 min |
| Oconee County, SC | 80,589 | $63,288 | $120,098 | 18.5 min |
| Anderson County, SC | 210,447 | $66,720 | $198,881 | 23.0 min |
| Henderson County, NC | 118,522 | $69,064 | $294,864 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pickens County, South Carolina.
How many people live in Pickens County, South Carolina?
About 134,527 people live in Pickens County, South Carolina, in 52,424 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 36.9, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Pickens County, South Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Pickens County, South Carolina has 262 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pickens County, South Carolina?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($268,520 against $61,495), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $971 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Pickens County, South Carolina?
Unemployment in Pickens County, South Carolina is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Pickens County, South Carolina have a college degree?
23.9% of adults in Pickens County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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