Dillon County, South Carolina

Dillon County, South Carolina
Location in the state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1910
Seat	Dillon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	407 sq mi (1,054 km²) 405 sq mi (1,049 km²) 2 sq mi (5 km²), 0.42%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	30,722 75/sq mi (29/km²)
Website	www.dilloncounty.org

Dillon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County, both Dillon County and its county seat, the city of Dillon, were named for prosperous local citizen James W. Dillon (1826-1913), an Irishman who settled there and led a campaign to bring the railroad into the community. The result of this effort was the construction of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad, which later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and which brought greater prosperity to the area by directly linking Dillon County to the national network of railroads.^[1]

In 2000, the county's population was 30,722; in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 30,974.^{[2] [3]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,054.1 km²), of which 405 square miles (1,048.9 km²) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.42%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

• Robeson County, North Carolina - north
• Columbus County, North Carolina - north
• Horry County, South Carolina - east
• Marion County, South Carolina - south
• Florence County, South Carolina - southwest
• Marlboro County, South Carolina - west

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 30,722 people, 11,199 households, and 8,063 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 12,679 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 50.39% White, 45.35% Black or African American, 2.21% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,199 households out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% were married couples living together, 22.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,630, and the median income for a family was $32,690. Males had a median income of $26,908 versus $18,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,272. About 19.40% of families and 24.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.30% of those under age 18 and 26.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Dillon
• Floydale
• Hamer
• Kemper
• Lake View
• Latta
• Little Rock

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dillon County, South Carolina

References

1. ^ http://www.dilloncounty.sc.gov/history
2. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-45.xls
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Coordinates: 34°23′N 79°23′W / 34.39°N 79.38°W / 34.39; -79.38