What is the poverty rate in South Carolina?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 13.3% of South Carolina’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 707,939 people in South Carolina were considered in poverty.
13.3%
of the population (2024)
708K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.6 percentage points lower than the previous year. South Carolina's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 18.9%.
In 2024, 13.3% of South Carolina's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 707,939 people living in South Carolina were in poverty — down 17.7% from the 2013 peak of 860,380.
In 2024, 707,900 people in South Carolina were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in South Carolina?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in South Carolina decreased from 27.1% to 18.3%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 16.9% to 12.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.3% to 11.1%.
In 2024, 18.3% of children in South Carolina were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in South Carolina?
Among racial or ethnic groups in South Carolina during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander; and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 38.8% in 2014 to 23.4% in 2024.
In South Carolina, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 38.8% in 2014 to 23.4% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in South Carolina have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among South Carolina counties ranged from 8.9% in York County to 29.2% in Dillon County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Greenville County — was 11%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among South Carolina counties ranged from 8.9% to 29.2%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Dillon County | 29.2% |
| 2. | Barnwell County | 28.5% |
| 3. | Marion County | 27.3% |
| 4. | Allendale County | 26.5% |
| 5. | Marlboro County | 26.2% |
| 6. | Orangeburg County | 23.9% |
| 7. | Williamsburg County | 23.6% |
| 8. | Lee County | 23.3% |
| 9. | Union County | 22.7% |
| 10. | Bamberg County | 21.6% |
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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.
