Demographics of South Carolina

Charleston – Columbus Street

The U.S. State of South Carolina is the 24th largest state, with a population of 4,625,364 as of the 2010 United States Census.

Contemporary demographics

See also: Demographics of the United States

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	249,073		—
1800	345,591		38.8%
1810	415,115		20.1%
1820	502,741		21.1%
1830	581,185		15.6%
1840	594,398		2.3%
1850	668,507		12.5%
1860	703,708		5.3%
1870	705,606		0.3%
1880	995,577		41.1%
1890	1,151,149		15.6%
1900	1,340,316		16.4%
1910	1,515,400		13.1%
1920	1,683,724		11.1%
1930	1,738,765		3.3%
1940	1,899,804		9.3%
1950	2,117,027		11.4%
1960	2,382,594		12.5%
1970	2,590,516		8.7%
1980	3,121,820		20.5%
1990	3,486,703		11.7%
2000	4,012,012		15.1%
2010	4,625,384		15.3%

South Carolina's center of population is 2.4 mi (3.9 km) north of the State House in the city of Columbia.^[1]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2009, South Carolina had an estimated population of 4,561,242, which is an increase of 57,962 from the prior year and an increase of 549,230, or 13.6%, since the year 2000. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,401 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 115,084 people.

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.^[2] The Consortium reports that the number of Hispanics in South Carolina is greatly undercounted by census enumerators and may be more than 400,000.^[2][3]

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

The five largest ancestry groups in South Carolina are Black (29.5%), American (13.9%), English (8.4%), German (8.4%) and Irish (7.9%). For most of South Carolina's history, African slaves, and then their descendants, made up a majority of the state's population. Whites became a majority in the early 20th century, when tens of thousands of blacks moved north in the Great Migration. Most of the African-American population lives in the Lowcountry and the Midlands areas. 6.6% of South Carolina's 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 mostly of English and Scots-Irish stock.

Most populous counties

See also: List of South Carolina counties

County	Seat	2000 Population	2010 Population
Greenville	Greenville	379,616	451,225
Richland	Columbia	320,667	384,504
Charleston	Charleston	309,969	350,209
Spartanburg	Spartanburg	253,791	284,307
Horry	Conway	196,629	269,291
Lexington	Lexington	216,014	254,920
York	York	164,614	229,073

Cities and Towns

Main article: List of cities and towns in South Carolina

• 

  Charleston – Columbus Street

• 

  Charleston – Atlantic Street at E. Battery Street

• 

  Columbia – USC Horseshoe – listed on [[National Register of Historical Places

• 

  Columbia – Skyline from Arsenal Hill

• 

  Spartanburg – Lawson's Fork Creek just downstream from the Cottonwood Trail

• 

  Greenville – Skyline by night

• 

  Greenville – Falls in Downtown area.

• 

  Hilton Head Island – Harbour Town

• 

  North Charleston – City Hall

• 

  Myrtle Beach

• 

  Rock Hill - City Hall

Largest municipalities

Population estimates as of 2010.

• Columbia – 129,272
• Charleston – 120,083
• North Charleston – 97,471
• Rock Hill – 71,154
• Mount Pleasant – 67,843
• Greenville – 58,409
• Summerville – 43,392
• Sumter- 40,524
• Hilton Head Island – 37,099
• Florence – 37,056
• Spartanburg – 37,013
• Goose Creek – 35,938
• Aiken – 29,524
• Myrtle Beach – 27,109
• Anderson – 26,686
• Greer – 25,515
• Greenwood – 23,222
• Mauldin – 22,889
• North Augusta – 21,348
• Easley – 19,993

Largest city areas

South Carolina's metropolitan statistical areas are actually much larger than their central city population counts suggest. South Carolina law makes it difficult for municipalities to annex unincorporated areas into the city limits,^{[citation needed]} so city proper populations look smaller than the actual size of the area.

For example, Myrtle Beach has a municipal population of less than 50,000 persons, but its metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are over 200,000. Anderson's municipal population is smaller than Sumter's, but the Anderson area is actually much larger. The Sumter area population is under 100,000, but Anderson's is over 120,000, while Anderson County's population is nearing 200,000.

Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville all have urbanized area populations between 350,000–500,000, while their metropolitan statistical area (MSA) populations are all over 600,000. The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan statistical area population consists of approximately 1.2 million people.

Urban Area Population

• Columbia - 325,739^{[citation needed]}
• Greenville - 302,194^{[citation needed]}
• Charleston - 248,443^{[citation needed]}
• Spartanburg - 150,000^[4]
• North Charleston - 120,608^{[citation needed]}
• Myrtle Beach - 113,496^{[citation needed]}
• Florence - 90,128^{[citation needed]}
• Rock Hill - 81,212^{[citation needed]}
• Anderson - 43,620^{[citation needed]}

Religion

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, like most other Southern states, has a Protestant Christian majority, and a lower percentage of non-religious people than the national average. The religious affiliations of the people of South Carolina are as follows:

• Christian: 93%^{[citation needed]}
  • Protestant: 84%^{[citation needed]}
    • Southern Baptist: 45%^{[citation needed]}
    • Methodist: 15%^{[citation needed]}
    • Presbyterian: 5%^{[citation needed]}
    • Other Protestant: 19%^{[citation needed]}
  • Roman Catholic: 7%^{[citation needed]}
  • Other Christian: 1%^{[citation needed]}
• Other Religions: 1%^{[citation needed]}
• Non-Religious: 6%^{[citation needed]}

Sephardic Jews have lived in the state for more than 300 years,^[5][6][7] especially in and around Charleston.^[8] Until about 1830, South Carolina had the largest population of Jews in North America. Many of South Carolina's Jews have assimilated into Christian society, shrinking Judaism down to less than 1% of the total religious makeup. In addition, Roman Catholicism is growing in South Carolina due to immigration from the North.

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:^[9]

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	291,300	41.4%	+6.1%
	Slave	402,406	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	415,814	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	688,934	59.9%	+14.0%
	Other	207	0.0%	+47.9%
	Total	1,151,149	100%	+15.6%
1900	White	557,807	41.6%	+20.7%
	Black	782,321	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	818,538	48.6%	+20.5%
	Black	864,719	51.4%	+3.7%
	Other	467	0.0%	+17.9%
	Total	1,683,724	100%	+11.1%
1930	White	944,049	54.3%	+15.3%
	Black	793,681	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	814,164	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	822,077	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

1. ^ "Population and Population Centers by State: 2000". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt. Retrieved December 6, 2008. 
2. ^ ^{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 prepared by The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, University of South Carolina, August 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
3. ^ ""Mexican Immigrants: The New Face of the South Carolina Labor Force," Moore School of Business, Division of Research, IMBA Globilization Project, University of South Carolina, March 2006.
4. ^ "Information on Spartanburg". Spartanburg Public Safety Office. city of spartanburg. http://www.spsdonline.org/. Retrieved 22 August 2011. 
5. ^ Keri Howell wrote: (April 5, 2010). "A "portion of the People" | Harvard Magazine Jan–Feb 2003". Harvardmagazine.com. http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/0103137.html. Retrieved July 31, 2010. 
6. ^ David Banks (March 25, 2002). "300 Years of Jewish History in South Carolina". NPR. http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/mar/southernjews/index.html. Retrieved July 31, 2010. 
7. ^ "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life Entrance to Website". Lib.unc.edu. August 18, 2006. http://www.lib.unc.edu/apop/. Retrieved July 31, 2010. 
8. ^ "A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life". www.sc.edu. http://www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2001/3445.html. Retrieved July 3, 2011. 
9. ^ 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. 

External links

• American FactFinder - 2010 Census data
• 2000 South Carolina Census Data