Sumter County, South Carolina

Sumter County
County
Sumter County Courthouse
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname:  The Gamecock County
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°55′N80°23′W / 33.92°N 80.38°W / 33.92; -80.38
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	January 1, 1800 [1]
Named for	Thomas Sumter
Seat	Sumter
Largest community	Sumter
Area
• Total	682.09 sq mi (1,766.6 km2)
• Land	665.08 sq mi (1,722.5 km2)
• Water	17.01 sq mi (44.1 km2)  2.49%
Population  (2020)
• Total	105,556
• Estimate  (2023)	104,165
• Density	158.71/sq mi (61.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	5th, 6th
Website	www.sumtercountysc.org

Sumter County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,556. ^[2] Its county seat is Sumter. ^[3]

Sumter County comprises the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC Combined Statistical Area. ^[4] The county is also part of "The Midlands" area.

It is the home of Shaw AFB, headquarters to the 9th Air Force, AFCENT, United States Army Central, with a number of other tenant units. It is one of largest bases in the USAF's Air Combat Command.

On September 17, 2024, the National Park Service announced that the City of Sumter and Sumter County were jointly named a World War II Heritage City. ^[5]

History

Statue of Thomas Sumter on the Sumter County Courthouse lawn in Sumter

Sumter County was created from Clarendon, Claremont and Salem Counties as Sumter District in 1798, named after General Thomas Sumter, ^[6] and became effective in 1800. ^[7] When the home of Sumter District's clerk of records burnt in 1801, the formative records of the three predecessor counties were also destroyed in the conflagration. ^[6] So documentary evidence that the three counties were within St. Mark's Parish (formed in 1757 from Prince Frederick's Parish, Craven County) in Camden District (formed 1769) derives from family genealogies and legislative records.

On December 19, 1855, a legislative act was passed partitioning Sumter District by forming Clarendon District, with the same boundaries as defined for Clarendon County in 1785. When effectuated in 1857, a northeastern part of Sumter District (formerly in Salem County) was also separated in the partition (the area east of a line drawn from the northernmost point of old Clarendon County continued north-northeasterly to a point on the boundary line with Darlington District (Sumter County's northeastern cornerpoint abutting Florence County since 1888).

The Sumter District gained a form of self-rule and was renamed Sumter County under the 1868 Constitution. ^[8]

In 1898, a northwestern part of Sumter County was detached to form part of the first Lee County, but its formation was declared unconstitutional in 1899. In 1902, an even larger northern part of Sumter County (more or less the remaining part of former Salem County) was properly legally detached to form the major sections of the current Lee County, of which some acreage reverted in 1914.

In 1921, southern Sumter County received a section from Clarendon County, of which some acreage reverted in 1922, creating the current boundaries of Sumter County.

Geography

Interactive map of Sumter County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 682.09 square miles (1,766.6 km²), of which 665.08 square miles (1,722.5 km²) is land and 17.01 square miles (44.1 km²) (2.49%) is water. ^[9] It is drained by the Black River and its tributaries. ^[10] Its western border is formed by the Wateree River. One of South Carolina's most famous areas are the High Hills of Santee comprising the western part of the county. The county is one of five that borders Lake Marion, also known as South Carolina's "Inland Sea".

State and local protected areas/sites

• Bland Tract Dove Field, Manchester State Forest (MSF) Wildlife Management Area ^[11]
• Manchester State Forest (part)
• Millford Plantation Historic Site
• Poinsett State Park
• Swan Lake Iris Gardens
• Tuomey Tract Dove Field, Manchester State Forest (MSF) Wildlife Management Area ^[11]
• Woods Bay State Park (part)

Major water bodies

• Congaree River
• Lake Marion
• Lynches River
• Pocoaligo River
• Rocky Bluff Swamp
• Scape Ore Swamp
• Wateree River

Adjacent counties

• Lee County – north
• Florence County – northeast
• Clarendon County – south
• Calhoun County – southwest
• Richland County – west
• Kershaw County – northwest

Major highways

• I-95
• US 15
• 
  US 15 Conn.
• US 76
• 
  US 76 Bus.
• US 378
• US 401
• US 521
• SC 120
• SC 261
• SC 441
• SC 763

Major infrastructure

• Shaw Air Force Base
• Sumter Airport

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	3,571		—
1810	19,054		433.6%
1820	25,269		32.6%
1830	28,277		11.9%
1840	27,892		−1.4%
1850	33,220		19.1%
1860	23,859		−28.2%
1870	25,268		5.9%
1880	37,037		46.6%
1890	43,605		17.7%
1900	51,237		17.5%
1910	38,472		−24.9%
1920	43,040		11.9%
1930	45,902		6.6%
1940	52,463		14.3%
1950	57,634		9.9%
1960	74,941		30.0%
1970	79,425		6.0%
1980	88,243		11.1%
1990	102,637		16.3%
2000	104,646		2.0%
2010	107,456		2.7%
2020	105,556		−1.8%
2023 (est.)	104,165	[2]	−1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790–1960 [13] 1900–1990 [14] 1990–2000 [15] 2010 [16] 2020 [2]

2020 census

Sumter County racial composition ^[17]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	46,442	44.0%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	48,536	45.98%
Native American	338	0.32%
Asian	1,400	1.33%
Pacific Islander	87	0.08%
Other/Mixed	4,451	4.22%
Hispanic or Latino	4,302	4.08%

As of the 2020 census, there were 105,556 people, 44,105 households, and 29,777 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 107,456 people, 40,398 households, and 28,311 families residing in the county. ^[18] The population density was 161.6 inhabitants per square mile (62.4/km²). There were 46,011 housing units at an average density of 69.2 per square mile (26.7/km²). ^[19] The racial makeup of the county was 48.2% white, 46.9% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. ^[18] In terms of ancestry, 7.2% were Subsaharan African, 6.9% were American, 6.1% were English, 5.9% were German, and 5.7% were Irish. ^[20]

Of the 40,398 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 35.4 years. ^[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,137 and the median income for a family was $45,460. Males had a median income of $36,101 versus $28,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,944. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. ^[21]

Government and politics

United States presidential election results for Sumter County, South Carolina ^{[22] [23]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	21,215	46.97%	23,425	51.86%	530	1.17%
2020	21,000	42.93%	27,379	55.97%	541	1.11%
2016	18,745	42.52%	24,047	54.55%	1,294	2.94%
2012	19,274	40.74%	27,589	58.32%	446	0.94%
2008	18,581	41.89%	25,431	57.33%	346	0.78%
2004	18,074	48.84%	18,695	50.52%	234	0.63%
2000	15,915	51.89%	14,365	46.83%	392	1.28%
1996	12,080	47.57%	12,198	48.04%	1,114	4.39%
1992	12,576	47.29%	11,852	44.56%	2,168	8.15%
1988	13,161	57.72%	9,502	41.67%	138	0.61%
1984	12,909	57.14%	9,566	42.35%	115	0.51%
1980	10,557	52.45%	9,205	45.74%	364	1.81%
1976	9,332	46.87%	10,471	52.59%	109	0.55%
1972	10,892	64.83%	5,801	34.53%	107	0.64%
1968	5,451	33.43%	6,103	37.42%	4,754	29.15%
1964	7,729	67.19%	3,775	32.81%	0	0.00%
1960	4,633	63.91%	2,616	36.09%	0	0.00%
1956	1,356	22.47%	937	15.53%	3,741	62.00%
1952	4,726	70.12%	2,014	29.88%	0	0.00%
1948	154	4.43%	605	17.40%	2,718	78.17%
1944	73	3.04%	2,111	87.92%	217	9.04%
1936	58	2.74%	2,062	97.26%	0	0.00%
1932	59	3.14%	1,809	96.43%	8	0.43%
1928	174	12.65%	1,202	87.35%	0	0.00%
1924	18	1.48%	1,136	93.42%	62	5.10%
1920	194	14.43%	1,150	85.57%	0	0.00%
1916	142	9.34%	1,357	89.28%	21	1.38%
1912	31	3.12%	910	91.64%	52	5.24%
1908	173	12.28%	1,228	87.15%	8	0.57%
1904	137	12.97%	919	87.03%	0	0.00%
1900	150	11.12%	1,199	88.88%	0	0.00%
1896	326	17.16%	1,550	81.58%	24	1.26%
1892	639	29.29%	1,535	70.35%	8	0.37%

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $5 billion (about $48,450 per capita), ^[24] and the real GDP was $4.2 billion (about $40,489 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. ^[25]

As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county include Becton Dickinson, Central Carolina Technical College, the city of Sumter, Continental AG, the United States Department of Defense, Eaton Corporation, SKF, JCPenney, Pilgrim's Pride, Prisma Health, Speedway, and Walmart. ^[26]

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Sumter County, South Carolina - Q3 2023 ^[26]

Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	3,537	10.0	18,980
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1,736	4.9	42,380
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	241	0.7	49,244
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	342	1.0	16,692
Construction	2,529	7.2	63,388
Educational Services	2,912	8.3	48,048
Finance and Insurance	824	2.3	73,060
Health Care and Social Assistance	5,453	15.5	53,768
Information	187	0.5	62,608
Management of Companies and Enterprises	223	0.6	93,912
Manufacturing	6,366	18.1	62,140
Other Services (except Public Administration)	978	2.8	39,312
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	934	2.7	75,036
Public Administration	2,510	7.1	58,448
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	221	0.6	43,680
Retail Trade	4,497	12.8	29,796
Transportation and Warehousing	896	2.5	60,476
Utilities	143	0.4	79,248
Wholesale Trade	710	2.0	61,568
Total	35,239	100.0%	49,611

Education

All areas in the county are in the Sumter County Consolidated School District. ^[27] Additionally, the University of South Carolina Sumter is located in the county. ^[28]

Communities

Cities

• Sumter (county seat and largest community)

Towns

• Mayesville
• Pinewood
• Rembert

Census-designated places

• Cane Savannah
• Cherryvale
• Dalzell
• East Sumter
• Lakewood
• Millwood
• Mulberry
• Oakland
• Oswego
• Privateer
• Shiloh
• South Sumter
• Stateburg
• Wedgefield

Unincorporated communities

• Horatio
• Wedgefield

Notable people

• Ray Allen, NBA basketball player
• Richard H. Anderson, Confederate lieutenant general
• Mary McLeod Bethune, civil rights activist, feminist, stateswoman, educator, and founder of the National Council of Negro Women; born to parents who had been enslaved ^[29]
• William Ellison, slave who was freed and settled in Stateburg where he became a large-scale slave owner and lived his life
• David DuBose Gaillard, in charge of the building of the central portion of the Panama Canal
• Sarah Ann Haynsworth Gayle (1804–1835), diarist
• Richard Irvine Manning I, 50th governor of South Carolina
• Richard Irvine Manning III, 92nd governor of South Carolina
• George L. Mabry, Jr., major general, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and highly decorated soldier of WWII
• Slomon Moody, physician, farmer, and city treasurer of Ocala, Florida
• Franklin J. Moses Jr., Governor of South Carolina from 1872 to 1874; enemies labelled him the "Robber Governor"
• Ja Morant, NBA basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies
• Bill Pinkney, performer, singer, and member of The Drifters
• Freddie Solomon, NFL wide receiver ^[30]
• Angelica Singleton Van Buren, Martin Van Buren's daughter-in-law and acting first lady of the United States during his presidency

See also

• List of counties in South Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sumter County, South Carolina

References

1. "Sumter County, South Carolina" . Retrieved September 7, 2022.
2. "QuickFacts: Sumter County, South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "OMB Bulletin No. 23-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget . July 21, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
5. "National Park Service Announces New American World War II Heritage Cities - Sept 2024 - Office of Communications (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
6. Sumter County, South Carolina Genealogy, FamilySearch.org, accessed April 2020.
7. "South Carolina: Individual County Chronologies". South Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2009. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
8. Sumter District, South Carolina. FamilySearch.org, accessed April 2020.
9. "2020 County Gazetteer Files – South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
10. Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Sumter, the name of four counties in the United States. I. An E. county of South Carolina"  . The American Cyclopædia .
11. "SCDNR Public Lands". www2.dnr.sc.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
14. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
17. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
18. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
19. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
20. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
21. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
23. "Our Campaigns - U.S. President" . Retrieved January 22, 2021.
24. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Sumter County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
25. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Sumter County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
26. "Sumter County" (PDF). Community Profiles (4000085). Columbia, SC: S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce - Business Intelligence Department. April 19, 2024.
27. "2020 Census – School District Reference Mmap: Sumter County, SC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved January 17, 2023. - Text list
28. "USC Sumter". sc.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
29. Jones, Martha S. (2020). Vanguard : how Black women broke barriers, won the vote, and insisted on equality for all. New York, NY. pp. 218–226. ISBN   978-1-5416-1861-9. OCLC   1135569243.
30. "Freddie Solomon". SC Football Hall of Fame | Become a life changer for our youth!. Retrieved January 18, 2023.

External links

• Geographic data related to Sumter County, South Carolina at OpenStreetMap
• Official website