Sumter County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sumter 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
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 104,715 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 153.6 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.35% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 41,083 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sumter County grew by 0.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 104,715 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sumter County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.5% of residents. That is 1.4 points above South Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 23,591 22.5% +1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 20,929 20.0% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 20,152 19.2% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 17,867 17.1% -1.4 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 51.4% of the people living in Sumter 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 Sumter County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sumter County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,802 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.22% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sumter County is about 18% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $216,121 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,057 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.1% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sumter County is about 17.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,057 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sumter County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 151 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.3 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 151 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,692 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,300 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 902 | 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 Sumter County is 18 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
Sumter County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.8% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
Sumter County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Sumter County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.8% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.4% | 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).
Sumter County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Sumter County, SC is the 2nd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 104,715 residents against a local median of 68,312. The measure that sets Sumter County, SC apart most is median home price: $216,121, 108% above the local median of $104,062.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.2 min against a local median of 28.8 min, 37% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 37% below the local median it puts Sumter County, SC at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $141,153 on median home price, so Sumter County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sumter County, SC has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County, SC | 104,715 | $56,802 #3/4 | $216,121 #1/4 | 18.2 min #1/4 |
| Clarendon County, SC | 30,986 | $52,680 | $43,750 | 28.8 min |
| Kershaw County, SC | 68,312 | $69,050 | $104,062 | 30.1 min |
| Richland County, SC | 422,111 | $64,219 | $184,903 | 20.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sumter County, South Carolina.
How many people live in Sumter County, South Carolina?
About 104,715 people live in Sumter County, South Carolina, in 41,083 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Sumter County, South Carolina urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sumter County, South Carolina has 154 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Sumter County, South Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.8 times the median household income ($216,121 against $56,802), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,057 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Sumter County, South Carolina?
20.8% of adults in Sumter County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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