Demographics of South Carolina

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.

Contents

Contemporary demographics

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

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

Largest municipalities

Population estimates as of 2010.

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, 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

Religion

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:

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