2024 ACS PUMS
South Carolina Census Data
A demographic, economic, and housing profile of South Carolina, built from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample. South Carolina is home to 5,478,831 people across 41 PUMAs, with a median household income of $72,083 and a median age of 40.7.
5,478,831
Population
$72,083
Median HH income
33.4%
Bachelor's+
$295,000
Median home value
South Carolina at a glance, vs. the U.S.
Every figure below is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The U.S. column is the population-weighted national average for comparison.
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,083 | $83,310 |
| Median family income | $91,372 | $102,685 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $57,666 | $66,223 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $32,488 | $35,074 |
| Poverty rate | 13.2% | 12.1% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 61.4% | 64.0% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 38 | 37.9 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $2,247 | $2,830 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 22.0% | 24.1% |
| Mean All other income | $852 | $705 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $22 | $45 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $37,178 | $44,138 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 303.4 | 318.7 |
| Mean Retirement income | $3,969 | $3,754 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $2,092 | $2,518 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $254 | $282 |
| Mean Social Security income | $4,538 | $3,799 |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.4% | 36.9% |
| High school diploma or higher | 91.0% | 89.9% |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 11.0% | 10.9% |
| Business operations | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Financial specialists | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| Computer & math | 2.5% | 3.6% |
| Architecture & engineering | 2.4% | 2.2% |
| Science | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Community & social service | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Legal | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Education instruction | 5.8% | 6.3% |
| Arts, design & media | 1.6% | 2.2% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 6.1% | 6.1% |
| Healthcare support | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Protective service | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Food prep & serving | 5.8% | 5.7% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Personal care | 2.5% | 2.7% |
| Sales | 10.3% | 9.1% |
| Office & admin support | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Construction | 4.3% | 4.6% |
| Extraction | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Installation & repair | 3.5% | 2.9% |
| Production | 6.9% | 5.1% |
| Transportation & moving | 8.1% | 7.8% |
| Military | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Utilities (industry) | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Construction (industry) | 7.0% | 6.7% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 11.9% | 9.2% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 11.7% | 11.0% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 4.5% | 5.0% |
| Information (industry) | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 5.9% | 6.2% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 11.8% | 12.5% |
| Educational services (industry) | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| Health care (industry) | 10.7% | 11.3% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 1.7% | 2.3% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 9.8% | 9.7% |
| Other services (industry) | 5.0% | 4.8% |
| Public administration (industry) | 3.9% | 4.6% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 9.1% | 8.4% |
| Private insurance | 67.2% | 66.7% |
| Public insurance | 38.3% | 37.0% |
| With a disability | 15.2% | 14.1% |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 26 min | 27 min |
| Drove to work | 83.7% | 78.5% |
| Public transit to work | 0.3% | 3.7% |
| Worked from home | 12.5% | 13.3% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 29.9 | 30.9 |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $295,000 | $390,221 |
| Median gross rent | $1,284 | $1,507 |
| Rent as % of income | 31.0% | 30.6% |
| Homeownership rate | 72.2% | 65.1% |
| Average household size | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 2.9 |
| Median rooms | 6 | 5.6 |
| Median year built | 1990 | 1976 |
| Vehicles per household | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| No vehicle | 5.7% | 8.5% |
| Single-family detached | 68.1% | 62.1% |
| Broadband internet | 94.8% | 95.0% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $180 | $155 |
| Median Fuel cost | $300 | $620 |
| Median Gas cost | $50 | $71 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 53.3 | 52.5 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $240 | $1,348 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $1,200 | $1,568 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $1,100 | $1,323 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $1,060 | $1,505 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $400 | $471 |
| Median Property taxes | $1,250 | $3,490 |
| Median Water cost | $480 | $577 |
| Statistic | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,478,831 | 340,110,990 |
| Average age | 40.7 | 39.8 |
| Married (15+) | 50.0% | 47.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.9% | 20.0% |
| Black | 23.4% | 11.7% |
| Asian | 1.9% | 6.2% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,505 | $1,682 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 1.9 | 2 |
South Carolina's 41 PUMAs
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a Census geography of roughly 100,000+ people — the finest level at which PUMS microdata is released. Explore South Carolina's 41 PUMAs on the map below — recolor it by any measure, and click an area to open its full profile.
Loading map…
Population
99,867 – 109,456
109,456 – 121,368
121,368 – 127,529
127,529 – 137,138
137,138 – 163,301
163,301 – 183,896
All PUMAs in South Carolina
Horry (Central and South) County--Myrtle Beach City183,896Aiken County--Aiken & North Augusta Cities179,418Dorchester County175,233Horry (Central and North) County--North Myrtle Beach City172,530Lexington (North and East) County--Irmo (West) & West Columbia Cities166,526Chester, Fairfield & Lancaster Counties164,202Charleston (North) County--North Charleston City163,301Allendale, Bamberg, Colleton, Hampton & Beaufort (East) Counties--Port Royal Cities163,229Richland (Northeast and North Central) & Kershaw Counties154,987Charleston (West) County--Kiawah Island & Charleston Cities153,668Jasper and Beaufort (West) Counties--Bluffton and Hilton Head Cities151,272Lexington (South & West) County and Cayce147,228Florence County137,969Berkeley (South) County--Goose Creek &portions of Charleston Cities137,138Laurens, Newberry & Union Counties136,592York County (North & East)--Fort Mill Town135,936Anderson (Central & Northeast) County--Anderson City135,184Greenville (South & East)--Outside Greenville & Greer (South) Cities132,462Chesterfield, Darlington & Marlboro Counties132,214Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick & Saluda Counties127,724Berkeley (North & East) County--Moncks Corner City127,529Clarendon, Georgetown & Williamsburg Counties127,040Richland County (Northwest and North Central)--Irmo (East) and Blythewood Cities126,828Spartanburg County (North)--Landrum City124,357Spartanburg County (Central)--Spartanburg City123,316Union and York (West) Counties--York City122,097Spartanburg County (West and South)--Greer & Woodruff Cities121,545Greenville County (Central East)--Greer City (South & West)121,368Lee & Sumter Counties119,379Barnwell, Calhoun & Orangeburg Counties118,996Richland County (Central)--Columbia City114,962Charleston (Northeast) County--Mount Pleasant Town113,577Dillon, Marion and Horry (North) Counties--Loris City112,811Pickens (East, Central, North) & Oconee (Northeast) Counties--Easley111,353Greenville County (Central)--Greenville & Mauldin Cities109,456Pickens (Southwest Corner) & Oconee (West, Central) Counties--Seneca & Clemson Cities109,305Greenville County (North)--Greer (North & West) & Travelers Rest Cities108,206Abbeville & Anderson (South) Counties--Belton City108,104Richland County (South & Central)--Forest Acres & Dentsville Cities104,926York County (East & South)--Fort Mill Town103,100Greenville County (South & West)--Outside Greenville City99,867
South Carolina Census data — FAQ
What is the population of South Carolina?+
According to the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), South Carolina has a population of 5,478,831 people, represented across 41 PUMAs (Public Use Microdata Areas).
What is the median household income in South Carolina?+
The median household income in South Carolina is $72,083 based on the 2024 ACS PUMS, compared with a U.S. figure of $83,310.
How educated is South Carolina?+
33.4% of South Carolina residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, versus 36.9% nationally, per the 2024 ACS.
Where does this South Carolina data come from?+
These figures are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — a de-identified, statistically weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.
New — housing construction: Building permits in South Carolina — monthly residential permits for every county, metro area, and city, single-family vs. multifamily, from the Census Building Permits Survey.