How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 5.57 million people living in South Carolina. That makes South Carolina the 23rd-most populous state, home to 1.6% of people living in the US.

5.57M

population of South Carolina (2025)

1.6%

South Carolina share of the US population (2025)
The population of South Carolina was about 4.2 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of South Carolina grew by about 80,000 people.

About 5.57 million people lived in South Carolina in 2025. That's about 4.2 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are South Carolina's age demographics?

About 1.08 million South Carolina residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 19.8% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 1.15 million South Carolina residents, or 21.2% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A higher share of South Carolina's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are South Carolina's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 62.4% of South Carolina’s population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. South Carolina also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (24.9%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, South Carolina’s non-Hispanic Asian population accounted for 2.1%, below the 6.5% share nationwide. The Hispanic population makes up 7.9% of the state, compared with 20% nationally.

A higher share of South Carolina's population is non-Hispanic Black or African American than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are South Carolina's most populous counties?

In 2024, seven out of 46 counties accounted for over half of South Carolina’s population:
  • Greenville County, 570,700 (10.4% of the population)
  • Charleston County, 431,000 (7.9%)
  • Richland County, 430,700 (7.8%)
  • Horry County, 413,400 (7.5%)
  • Spartanburg County, 369,300 (6.7%)
  • Lexington County, 313,800 (5.7%)
  • York County, 303,000 (5.5%)

In 2024, Greenville County was the most populous county in South Carolina.

Population estimates

What are South Carolina's most populous cities?

The largest city in South Carolina is Charleston with about 157,700 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in South Carolina ranked by population

Cities and counties in South Carolina ranked by population
1.

Charleston 

157,665
2.

Columbia 

144,788
3.

North Charleston

126,005
4.

Mount Pleasant

95,604
5.

Rock Hill

75,798
6.

Greenville 

74,371
7.

Summerville 

52,625
8.

Goose Creek

50,352
9.

Greer 

46,316
10.

Sumter 

42,958

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.