SOUTH CAROLINA

In 2019, South Carolina had a population of 5.15M people with a median age of 39.9 and a median household income of $56,227. Between 2018 and 2019 the population of South Carolina grew from 5.08M to 5.15M, a 1.27% increase and its median household income grew from $52,306 to $56,227, a 7.5% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in South Carolina are White (Non-Hispanic) (63.5%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (26.3%), White (Hispanic) (3.16%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.07%), and Other (Hispanic) (2.03%). 7.47% of the households in South Carolina speak a non-English language at home as their primary language.

96.8% of the residents in South Carolina are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in South Carolina are University of South Carolina-Columbia (9,815 degrees awarded in 2020), Clemson University (7,207 degrees), and College of Charleston (2,549 degrees).

In 2019, the median property value in South Carolina was $179,800, and the homeownership rate was 70.3%. Most people in South Carolina drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.7 minutes. The average car ownership in South Carolina was 2 cars per household.

South Carolina borders Georgia and North Carolina.

Diversity

South Carolina is home to a population of 5.15M people, from which 96.8% are citizens. As of 2019, 4.91% of South Carolina residents were born outside of the country (253k people).

In 2019, there were 2.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.27M people) in South Carolina than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.35M Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 163k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common foreign languages spoken in South Carolina are Spanish (224,118 speakers), German (13,313 speakers), and Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (12,560 speakers).

Race and Ethnicity

In 2019, there were 2.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.27M people) in South Carolina than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.35M Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 163k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.8% of the people in South Carolina are hispanic (298k people).

Non-English Speakers

7.47% of South Carolina citizens are speakers of a non-English language, which is lower than the national average of 22%.

In 2019, the most common non-English language spoken in South Carolina was Spanish. 4.61% of the overall population of South Carolina are native Spanish speakers. 0.274% speak German and 0.258% speak Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese), the next two most common languages.

Foreign-Born Population

As of 2019, 4.91% of South Carolina residents (253k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.7%. In 2018, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in South Carolina was 4.73%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

Age by Nativity

In 2019, the median age of all people in South Carolina was 39.9. Native-born citizens, with a median age of 40, were generally younger than foreign-born citizens, with a median age of 41. But people in South Carolina are getting getting older. In 2018, the average age of all South Carolina residents was 40.

Global Diversity

In 2019, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 61,323 South Carolina residents, followed by Honduras with 21,432 and India with 16,010.

Citizenship

As of 2019, 96.8% of South Carolina residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2018, the percentage of US citizens in South Carolina was 97.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

Veterans

South Carolina has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

Median household income in South Carolina is $56,227. In 2019, the county with the highest Median Household Income in South Carolina was Beaufort County, SC with a value of $74,127, followed by Charleston County, SC and Berkeley County, SC, with respective values of $71,531 and $69,398.

Males in South Carolina have an average income that is 1.38 times higher than the average income of females, which is $44,965. The income inequality in South Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.459, which is lower than than the national average.

The economy of South Carolina employs 2.27M people. The largest industries in South Carolina are Restaurants & Food Services (173,092 people), Elementary & secondary schools (146,570 people), and Construction (143,370 people), and the highest paying industries are Not specified metal industries ($140,580), Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers ($127,796), and Not specified food industries, manufacturing ($118,359).