Demographics of South Carolina

The U.S. state of South Carolina is located in the Southern United States. It is the 23rd largest state by population, with a population of 5,118,425 according to 2020 United States Census estimates.[1]

Columbus Street, Charleston, South Carolina

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1790249,073
1800345,59138.8%
1810415,11520.1%
1820502,74121.1%
1830581,18515.6%
1840594,3982.3%
1850668,50712.5%
1860703,7085.3%
1870705,6060.3%
1880995,57741.1%
18901,151,14915.6%
19001,340,31616.4%
19101,515,40013.1%
19201,683,72411.1%
19301,738,7653.3%
19401,899,8049.3%
19502,117,02711.4%
19602,382,59412.5%
19702,590,5168.7%
19803,121,82020.5%
19903,486,70311.7%
20004,012,01215.1%
20104,625,38415.3%
20205,118,42510.7%
Source: 1910–2020[2]

South Carolina's center of population is 2.4 mi (3.9 km) north of the State House in the city of Columbia.[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2020, South Carolina had an estimated population of 5,118,425, which is an increase of 493,041, or 10.7%, since the year 2010.

According to the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health, Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, South Carolina's foreign-born population grew faster than any other state between 2000 and 2005.[4] The Consortium reports that the number of Hispanics in South Carolina is greatly undercounted by census enumerators and may be more than 400,000.[4][5]

Demographics of South Carolina (csv)
By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI*
2000 (total population) 68.88% 30.01% 0.69% 1.13% 0.10%
2000 (Hispanic only) 2.05% 0.26% 0.05% 0.03% 0.02%
2005 (total population) 69.12% 29.68% 0.69% 1.31% 0.10%
2005 (Hispanic only) 2.95% 0.27% 0.06% 0.04% 0.02%
Growth 2000–05 (total population) 6.43% 4.89% 6.09% 23.49% 13.76%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 5.01% 4.87% 4.61% 23.16% 10.36%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 52.78% 7.64% 23.97% 34.25% 26.89%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

South Carolina’s population increased by 15.4 percent between 1990 and 2000 and by another 7.4 percent between 2000 and 2005; 11.6 percent of that increase has been attributed to immigration, primarily from Mexico and Latin America. Most work in the construction industry, with another proportion in agriculture, in addition to processing factories. The Latino population has increased considerably faster in South Carolina and the Southeast than for the United States as a whole.[6]

The five largest ancestry groups in South Carolina identified by respondents to the US census are African American (29.5%), American (13.9%), English (8.4%), German (8.4%), and Irish (7.9%) (thus a total of more than 39% from northern Europe).[7]

From 1720 until 1920, African slaves and their descendants made up a majority of the state's population. (See census data below.) Whites became a majority in the state after that date, following the migration of tens of thousands of blacks to northern industrial cities in the Great Migration. In the 21st century, most of the African-American population in the state lives in the Lowcountry and the Midlands areas, historically areas of their greatest concentrations of population.[8]

Birth data

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Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother
Race 2013[9] 2014[10] 2015[11] 2016[12] 2017[13] 2018[14] 2019[15] 2020[16] 2021[17] 2022[18]
White (NH) 33,085 (58.2%) 33,639 (58.4%) 33,927 (58.4%) 32,929 (57.4%) 32,283 (56.6%) 31,890 (56.3%) 31,660 (55.5%) 30,465 (54.7%) 31,841 (55.7%) 32,323 (55.9%)
Black 18,591 (32.7%) 18,598 (32.3%) 18,577 (32.0%) 16,527 (28.8%) 16,851 (29.5%) 16,681 (29.4%) 16,802 (29.5%) 16,309 (29.3%) 16,009 (28.0%) 15,333 (26.5%)
Asian 1,235 (2.2%) 1,293 (2.2%) 1,289 (2.2%) 1,134 (2.0%) 1,125 (2.0%) 1,172 (2.1%) 1,155 (2.0%) 1,148 (2.1%) 1,167 (2.0%) 1,176 (2.0%)
American Indian 201 (0.3%) 193 (0.3%) 217 (0.4%) 151 (0.3%) 183 (0.3%) 156 (0.3%) 176 (0.3%) 106 (0.2%) 122 (0.2%) 198 (0.3%)
Hispanic (of Native American race) 4,411 (7.8%) 4,646 (8.1%) 4,942 (8.5%) 5,135 (8.9%) 5,221 (9.2%) 5,255 (9.3%) 5,741 (10.1%) 5,993 (10.7%) 6,386 (11.2%) 7,073 (12.2%)
Total South Carolina 56,795 (100%) 57,627 (100%) 58,139 (100%) 57,342 (100%) 57,029 (100%) 56,669 (100%) 57,038 (100%) 55,704 (100%) 57,185 (100%) 57,820 (100%)
  • Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
  • NH = Non-hispanic

Center of population

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South Carolina Population Density in 2010.

Most populous counties

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County Seat 2000 Population 2010 Population 2017 Population
Greenville Greenville 379,616 451,225 506,837
Richland Columbia 320,667 384,504 411,592
Charleston Charleston 309,969 350,209 401,438
Horry Conway 196,629 269,291 333,268
Spartanburg Spartanburg 253,431 284,307 306,854
Lexington Lexington 216,014 254,920 290,642
York York 164,614 229,073 266,439
Berkeley Moncks Corner 142,651 177,843 217,937
Anderson Anderson 165,740 187,126 198,759
Beaufort Beaufort 120,937 162,233 186,844

Cities and towns

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Largest municipalities

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Population estimates as of 2010.

City and MSAs

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South Carolina's metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are much larger than their central city population counts suggest. South Carolina law makes it difficult for municipalities to annex unincorporated areas, so city proper populations look smaller than is reflected in the total metropolitan populations.

For example, Myrtle Beach has a municipal population of less than 50,000 persons, but its MSA has more than 200,000 persons. Anderson's municipal population is smaller than Sumter's, but the Anderson MSA is larger, as seen below.

Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville all have urbanized area populations between 400,000 and 550,000, while their metropolitan statistical area (MSA) populations are each more than 600,000. The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson MSA population consists of approximately 1.4 million people, making it the largest in the state and third largest in the Carolinas.

Urban Area Population

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As of 2010:[19]

Religion

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St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston is the tallest house of worship in the state. Its spire rises 255 feet.

South Carolina residents are majority Protestant Christian, with a lower percentage of people claiming no religious affiliation than the national average. The religious affiliations of the people of South Carolina are as follows:

Sephardic Jews have lived in the state for more than 300 years,[21][22][23] especially in and around Charleston. Many came from London, where they were merchants.[24] Until about 1830, South Carolina had the largest population of Jews in North America, most in Charleston. Some have married and assimilated into Christian society; in the 21st century, less than 1% of the total religiously affiliated people are Jewish. The proportion of Roman Catholics in the state has been increasing given migrants from the North and immigration from Latin America.

Historical demographics

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Beginning in 1790, the United States Census Bureau collected the population statistics of South Carolina. The years listed prior to that are estimates and exclude the Native American population. From 1790 until 1860, the designated demographic classifications were   white,   black slave and   free black.

Following the Civil War, the racial groupings were   white,   black and   other.

The following is a list of census data for the state of South Carolina:[25]

Census
Year
Demographic Population % of Pop. % Growth
1670 White 140 90.3%
Slave 15 9.7%
Total 155 100% -
1680 White 1,000 83.3% +614.3%
Slave 200 16.7% +1233.3%
Total 1,200 100% +674.2%
1700 White 3,100 56.4% +210.0%
Slave 2,400 43.6% +1100.0%
Total 5,500 100% +358.3%
1708 White 4,080 42.6% +31.6%
Black Slaves 4,100 42.8%
Indian Slaves 1,400 14.6%
Total 9,580 100% +74.2%
1720 White 6,500 35.1% +59.3%
Slave 12,000 64.9% +118.2%
Total 18,500 100% +93.1%
1730 White 10,000 33.3% +53.9%
Slave 20,000 66.7% +66.7%
Total 30,000 100% +62.2%
1740 White 20,000 33.3% +100.0%
Slave 40,000 66.7% +100.0%
Total 60,000 100% +100.0%
1750 White 21,667 33.3% +8.3%
Slave 43,333 66.7% +8.3%
Total 65,000 100% +8.3%
1760 White 32,000 38.1% +47.7%
Slave 52,000 61.9% +20.0%
Total 84,000 100% +29.2%
1770 White 50,000 38.5% +56.3%
Slave 80,000 61.5% +53.9%
Total 130,000 100% +54.7%
1780 White 83,000 46.1% +66.0%
Slave 97,000 53.9% +21.3%
Total 180,000 100% +38.5%
1790 White 140,178 56.3% +68.9%
Slave 107,094 43.0% +10.4%
Free Black 1,801 0.7%
Total 249,073 100% +38.4%
1800 White 196,255 56.8% +40.0%
Slave 146,151 42.3% +36.5%
Free Black 3,185 0.9% +76.9%
Total 345,591 100% +38.8%
1810 White 214,196 51.6% +9.1%
Slave 196,365 47.3% +34.4%
Free Black 4,554 1.1% +42.9%
Total 415,115 100% +20.1%
1820 White 237,440 47.2% +10.9%
Slave 258,475 51.4% +31.6%
Free Black 6,826 1.4% +49.9%
Total 502,741 100% +21.1%
1830 White 257,863 44.4% +8.6%
Slave 323,322 55.6% +25.1%
Total 581,185 100% +15.6%
1840 White 259,084 43.6% +0.5%
Slave 327,038 55.0% +1.2%
Free Black 8,276 1.4% +21.2%
Total 594,398 100% +2.3%
1850 White 274,563 41.1% +6.0%
Slave 393,944 58.9% +20.5%
Total 668,507 100% +12.5%
1860 White 271,300 41.4% +6.1%
Slave 487,406 57.2% +2.2%
Free Black 9,914 1.4% +19.8%
Other 88 0.0%
Total 703,708 100% +5.3%
1870 White 289,667 41.1% -0.6%
Black 465,814 58.9% +3.3%
Other 125 0.0% +42.1%
Total 705,606 100% +0.3%
1880 White 391,105 39.3% +35.0%
Black 604,332 60.7% +45.3%
Other 140 0.0% +12.0%
Total 995,577 100% +41.1%
1890 White 462,008 40.1% +18.1%
Black 728,934 59.9% +14.0%
Other 207 0.0% +47.9%
Total 1,151,149 100% +15.6%
1900 White 547,807 41.6% +20.7%
Black 789,321 58.4% +13.6%
Other 188 0.0% -9.2%
Total 1,340,316 100% +16.4%
1910 White 679,161 44.9% +21.8%
Black 833,843 55.1% +6.6%
Other 396 0.0% +110.6%
Total 1,515,400 100% +13.1%
1920 White 878,538 51.4% +20.5%
Black 864,719 48.6% +3.7%
Other 467 0.0% +17.9%
Total 1,683,724 100% +11.1%
1930 White 994,049 54.3% +15.3%
Black 693,681 45.6% -8.2%
Other 1,035 0.1% +121.6%
Total 1,738,765 100% +3.3%
1940 White 1,084,308 57.1% +14.9%
Black 714,164 42.9% +2.6%
Other 1,332 0.1% +28.7%
Total 1,899,804 100% +9.3%
1950 White 1,293,405 61.1% +19.3%
Black 722,077 38.8% +1.0%
Other 1,545 0.1% +16.0%
Total 2,117,027 100% +11.4%
1960 White 1,551,022 65.1% +19.9%
Black 829,291 34.8% +0.9%
Other 2,281 0.1% +47.6%
Total 2,382,594 100% +12.5%
1970 White 1,794,430 69.3% +15.7%
Black 789,041 30.4% -4.9%
Other 7,045 0.3% +208.9%
Total 2,590,516 100% +8.7%
1980 White 2,147,224 68.8% +19.7%
Black 948,623 30.4% +20.2%
Other 25,973 0.8% +268.7%
Total 3,121,820 100% +20.5%
1990 White 2,406,974 69.0% +12.1%
Black 1,039,884 29.8% +9.6%
Other 39,845 1.2% +53.4%
Total 3,486,703 100% +11.7%
2000 White 2,695,560 67.2% +12.0%
Black 1,185,216 29.5% +14.0%
Other 131,236 3.3% +229.4%
Total 4,012,012 100% +15.1%
2010 White 3,062,000 66.2% +13.6%
Black 1,290,684 27.9% +8.9%
Other 274,680 5.9% +109.3%
Total 4,625,364 100% +15.3%

References

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  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Population and Population Centers by State: 2000". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "The Economic and Social Implications of the Growing Latino Population in South Carolina: A Study for the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs" (PDF). The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, University of South Carolina. August 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  5. ^ "Mexican Immigrants: The New Face of the South Carolina Labor Force" (PDF). Moore School of Business, Division of Research, IMBA Globilization Project, University of South Carolina. March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Darien Blair Sutton; Doug Woodward, Ph.D. (June 2009). "Latino Immigration: Implications for Business" (PDF). Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. pp. 3–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  7. ^ "Reporting single ancestry - Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORIC PLACES IN SOUTH CAROLINA" (PDF). scdah.sc.gov.
  9. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2013" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 64 (1). National Center for Health Statistics. January 15, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2014" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 64 (12). National Center for Health Statistics. December 23, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2015" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 66 (1). National Center for Health Statistics. January 5, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Driscoll, Anne K.; Drake, Patrick (January 31, 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2016" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 67 (1). National Center for Health Statistics: 1–55. PMID 29775434.
  13. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2017" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 67 (8). National Center for Health Statistics. November 7, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2018" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 68 (13). National Center for Health Statistics. November 27, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2019" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 70 (2). National Center for Health Statistics. March 23, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2020" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 70 (17). National Center for Health Statistics. February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2021" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 72 (1). National Center for Health Statistics. January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  18. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  19. ^ "America's Urban Population: Patterns & Characteristics". Proximity. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  20. ^ "A "Religion in South Carolina" | Pew Research 2014". Pew Research. 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  21. ^ Keri Howell wrote (April 5, 2010). "A "portion of the People" | Harvard Magazine Jan–Feb 2003". Harvardmagazine.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  22. ^ David Banks (March 25, 2002). "300 Years of Jewish History in South Carolina". NPR. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  23. ^ "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life Entrance to Website". Lib.unc.edu. August 18, 2006. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  24. ^ "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life". Sc.edu. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  25. ^ Rogers Jr., George C. and C. James Taylor (1994). A South Carolina Chronology 1497–1992. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-971-5.
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