Demographics of South Carolina

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Columbus Street, Charleston, South Carolina Columbus Street near Meeting Street 2 Charleston South Carolina.jpg
Columbus Street, Charleston, 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]

Contents

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1790 249,073
1800 345,59138.8%
1810 415,11520.1%
1820 502,74121.1%
1830 581,18515.6%
1840 594,3982.3%
1850 668,50712.5%
1860 703,7085.3%
1870 705,6060.3%
1880 995,57741.1%
1890 1,151,14915.6%
1900 1,340,31616.4%
1910 1,515,40013.1%
1920 1,683,72411.1%
1930 1,738,7653.3%
1940 1,899,8049.3%
1950 2,117,02711.4%
1960 2,382,59412.5%
1970 2,590,5168.7%
1980 3,121,82020.5%
1990 3,486,70311.7%
2000 4,012,01215.1%
2010 4,625,38415.3%
2020 5,118,42510.7%
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 WhiteBlackAIAN*AsianNHPI*
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]

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.[ citation needed ]

6.6% of South Carolina's total population were reported as under 5 years old, 25.2% under 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population in 2000. Those who self-identify as having American ancestry are of mostly British Isles ancestry: English and Scots-Irish stock.[ citation needed ]

Barbadian slaves were brought to South Carolina. [7]

French Huguenots immigrated to the state. [8]

The Catawba, Pee Dee, Chicora, Edisto, Santee, Yamassee, and Chicora-Waccamaw tribes are all still present in the state. [9]

Birth data

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 [10] 2014 [11] 2015 [12] 2016 [13] 2017 [14] 2018 [15] 2019 [16] 2020 [17] 2021 [18] 2022 [19]
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 Carolina56,795 (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%)

Center of population

South Carolina Population Density in 2010. South Carolina population map.png
South Carolina Population Density in 2010.

Most populous counties

CountySeat2000 Population2010 Population2017 Population
Greenville Greenville 379,616451,225506,837
Richland Columbia 320,667384,504411,592
Charleston Charleston 309,969350,209401,438
Horry Conway 196,629269,291333,268
Spartanburg Spartanburg 253,431284,307306,854
Lexington Lexington 216,014254,920290,642
York York 164,614229,073266,439
Berkeley Moncks Corner 142,651177,843217,937
Anderson Anderson 165,740187,126198,759
Beaufort Beaufort 120,937162,233186,844

Cities and towns

Largest municipalities

Population estimates as of 2010.

City and MSAs

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

As of 2010: [20]

Religion

St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston is the tallest house of worship in the state. Its spire rises 255 feet. St. Matthews Lutheran (Charleston, SC).jpg
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, [22] [23] [24] especially in and around Charleston. Many came from London, where they were merchants. [25] 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

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: [26]

Census
Year
DemographicPopulation % of Pop. % Growth
1670White14090.3%
Slave159.7%
Total155100%-
1680White1,00083.3%+614.3%
Slave20016.7%+1233.3%
Total1,200100%+674.2%
1700White3,10056.4%+210.0%
Slave2,40043.6%+1100.0%
Total5,500100%+358.3%
1708White4,08042.6%+31.6%
Black Slaves4,10042.8%
Indian Slaves1,40014.6%
Total9,580100%+74.2%
1720White6,50035.1%+59.3%
Slave12,00064.9%+118.2%
Total18,500100%+93.1%
1730White10,00033.3%+53.9%
Slave20,00066.7%+66.7%
Total30,000100%+62.2%
1740White20,00033.3%+100.0%
Slave40,00066.7%+100.0%
Total60,000100%+100.0%
1750White21,66733.3%+8.3%
Slave43,33366.7%+8.3%
Total65,000100%+8.3%
1760White32,00038.1%+47.7%
Slave52,00061.9%+20.0%
Total84,000100%+29.2%
1770White50,00038.5%+56.3%
Slave80,00061.5%+53.9%
Total130,000100%+54.7%
1780White83,00046.1%+66.0%
Slave97,00053.9%+21.3%
Total180,000100%+38.5%
1790 White140,17856.3%+68.9%
Slave107,09443.0%+10.4%
Free Black1,8010.7%
Total249,073100%+38.4%
1800 White196,25556.8%+40.0%
Slave146,15142.3%+36.5%
Free Black3,1850.9%+76.9%
Total345,591100%+38.8%
1810 White214,19651.6%+9.1%
Slave196,36547.3%+34.4%
Free Black4,5541.1%+42.9%
Total415,115100%+20.1%
1820 White237,44047.2%+10.9%
Slave258,47551.4%+31.6%
Free Black6,8261.4%+49.9%
Total502,741100%+21.1%
1830 White257,86344.4%+8.6%
Slave323,32255.6%+25.1%
Total581,185100%+15.6%
1840 White259,08443.6%+0.5%
Slave327,03855.0%+1.2%
Free Black8,2761.4%+21.2%
Total594,398100%+2.3%
1850 White274,56341.1%+6.0%
Slave393,94458.9%+20.5%
Total668,507100%+12.5%
1860 White271,30041.4%+6.1%
Slave487,40657.2%+2.2%
Free Black9,9141.4%+19.8%
Other880.0%
Total703,708100%+5.3%
1870 White289,66741.1%-0.6%
Black465,81458.9%+3.3%
Other1250.0%+42.1%
Total705,606100%+0.3%
1880 White391,10539.3%+35.0%
Black604,33260.7%+45.3%
Other1400.0%+12.0%
Total995,577100%+41.1%
1890 White462,00840.1%+18.1%
Black728,93459.9%+14.0%
Other2070.0%+47.9%
Total1,151,149100%+15.6%
1900 White547,80741.6%+20.7%
Black789,32158.4%+13.6%
Other1880.0%-9.2%
Total1,340,316100%+16.4%
1910 White679,16144.9%+21.8%
Black833,84355.1%+6.6%
Other3960.0%+110.6%
Total1,515,400100%+13.1%
1920 White878,53851.4%+20.5%
Black864,71948.6%+3.7%
Other4670.0%+17.9%
Total1,683,724100%+11.1%
1930 White994,04954.3%+15.3%
Black693,68145.6%-8.2%
Other1,0350.1%+121.6%
Total1,738,765100%+3.3%
1940 White1,084,30857.1%+14.9%
Black714,16442.9%+2.6%
Other1,3320.1%+28.7%
Total1,899,804100%+9.3%
1950 White1,293,40561.1%+19.3%
Black722,07738.8%+1.0%
Other1,5450.1%+16.0%
Total2,117,027100%+11.4%
1960 White1,551,02265.1%+19.9%
Black829,29134.8%+0.9%
Other2,2810.1%+47.6%
Total2,382,594100%+12.5%
1970 White1,794,43069.3%+15.7%
Black789,04130.4%-4.9%
Other7,0450.3%+208.9%
Total2,590,516100%+8.7%
1980 White2,147,22468.8%+19.7%
Black948,62330.4%+20.2%
Other25,9730.8%+268.7%
Total3,121,820100%+20.5%
1990 White2,406,97469.0%+12.1%
Black1,039,88429.8%+9.6%
Other39,8451.2%+53.4%
Total3,486,703100%+11.7%
2000 White2,695,56067.2%+12.0%
Black1,185,21629.5%+14.0%
Other131,2363.3%+229.4%
Total4,012,012100%+15.1%
2010 White3,062,00066.2%+13.6%
Black1,290,68427.9%+8.9%
Other274,6805.9%+109.3%
Total4,625,364100%+15.3%

References

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  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. "Immigration".
  8. "Huguenots".
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  19. "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  20. "America's Urban Population: Patterns & Characteristics". Proximity. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  21. "A "Religion in South Carolina" | Pew Research 2014". Pew Research. 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  22. 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.
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  26. 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.