Fairfield County, SC

County

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2024 Population

20,550

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

47.4

1.5% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

15.6%

7.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$47,885

1.94% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$151,200

17.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

9,130

4.28% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Fairfield County, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.9% of the residents in Fairfield County, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Fairfield County, SC was $151,200, and the homeownership rate was 74.6%.

Most people in Fairfield County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30 minutes. The average car ownership in Fairfield County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Fairfield County, SC borders Chester County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Richland County, SC, and Union County, SC.

United States South Carolina Columbia, SC

Population & Diversity

Fairfield County, SC is home to a population of 20.6k people, from which 99.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.11% of Fairfield County, SC residents were born outside of the country (228 people).

In 2024, there were 1.4 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.2k people) in Fairfield County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8k White (Non-Hispanic) and 635 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.9% of Fairfield County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fairfield County, SC was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Fairfield County, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fairfield County, SC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11.2k ± 275
White (Non-Hispanic)
8k ± 97
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
635 ± 274

2.51%

Hispanic Population

516 people

2.51% of the people in Fairfield County, SC are hispanic (516 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fairfield County, SC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
63,986 ± 6,172 people
India
20,779 ± 3,532 people
Honduras
17,281 ± 3,222 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 63,986 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 20,779 and Honduras with 17,281.

Foreign-Born Population

1.11%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

228 people

1.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

269 people

As of 2024, 1.11% of Fairfield County, SC residents (228 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fairfield County, SC was 1.3%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Fairfield County, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
380 ± 137
Gulf War (1990s)
238 ± 115
Gulf War (2001-)
237 ± 94

Fairfield County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.6 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fairfield County, SC.

Economy

The economy of Fairfield County, SC employs 9.13k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fairfield County, SC were Manufacturing (1,761 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,147 people), and Retail Trade (848 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($76,250), Utilities ($71,528), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($61,250).

Employment

Occupations

9.13k

2024 Value

± 709

−4.28%

1 Year decline

± 11.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairfield County, SC declined at a rate of −4.28%, from 9.54k employees to 9.13k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fairfield County, SC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,109 people), Production Occupations (1,057 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (878 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fairfield County, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

9.13k

2024 Value

± 709

−4.28%

1 Year decline

± 11.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairfield County, SC declined at a rate of −4.28%, from 9.54k employees to 9.13k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fairfield County, SC, are Manufacturing (1,761 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,147 people), and Retail Trade (848 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fairfield County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Fairfield County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,563

Median earning men ± $6,032

$31,470

Median earning women ± $1,992

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($76,719), Public Administration ($75,577), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,780).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,161), Other Services Except Public Administration ($39,743), and Wholesale Trade ($35,670).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Y-Axis

2.54%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

34
Other Services (except Public Administration)
34
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
25
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$77.1k
Utilities
$63k
Manufacturing
$62.3k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Fairfield County, SC was $151,200 in 2024, which is 0.454 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $129,100 to $151,200, a 17.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Fairfield County, SC is 74.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Fairfield County, SC have an average commute time of 30 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fairfield County, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Fairfield County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.08%.

Housing

Property

$151,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,395

$6,666

Median Property Taxes

±$565

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Fairfield County, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Fairfield County, SC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74.6%

Homeownership

2024

68.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.6% of the housing units in Fairfield County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fairfield County, SC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$47,885

Median Household Income

± $4,289

8.93k

Number of Households

± 728

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.93k households in Fairfield County, SC grew to $47,885 from the previous year's value of $46,972.

The following chart displays the households in Fairfield County, SC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Fairfield County, SC is from South Carolina.

0.464

2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.102% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.8%)
Carpooled (11%)
Worked At Home (6.34%)

In 2024, 79.8% of workers in Fairfield County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11%) and those who worked at home (6.34%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fairfield County, SC have a longer commute time (30 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.34% of the workforce in Fairfield County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Fairfield County, SC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Fairfield County, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Fairfield County, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Fairfield County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.08%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

15.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fairfield County, SC (3.17k out of 20.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fairfield County, SC is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 33.1% of the children was living in poverty in Fairfield County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 726 in Fairfield County, SC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 71.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93% of the population of Fairfield County, SC has health coverage, with 40.2% on employee plans, 20.2% on Medicaid, 16.7% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 2.54% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Fairfield County, SC see 2,299 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,299 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4091 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 851 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,299 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Fairfield County, SC

Primary care physicians in Fairfield County, SC see an average of 2,299 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,299 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Fairfield County, SC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.4% under 18 years, 17.4% between 18 and 34 years, 39.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.99%

Uninsured

40.2%

Employer Coverage

20.2%

Medicaid

16.7%

Medicare

13.3%

Non-Group

2.54%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Fairfield County, SC declined by 12.5% from 7.98% to 6.99%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Fairfield County, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 127 in Fairfield County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Fairfield County, SC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.1% in Fairfield County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Fairfield County, SC.