Lancaster County, SC

County

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2024 Population

104,475

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.5

0.711% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.4%

7.22% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$78,869

5.51% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$329,900

10.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

47,196

5.53% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Lancaster 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.

96.4% of the residents in Lancaster County, SC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lancaster County, SC are University of South Carolina-Lancaster (154 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Lancaster County, SC was $329,900, and the homeownership rate was 83.3%.

Most people in Lancaster County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Lancaster County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Lancaster County, SC borders Mecklenburg County, NC, Union County, NC, Chester County, SC, Chesterfield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, and York County, SC.

United States South Carolina Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

Population & Diversity

Lancaster County, SC is home to a population of 104k people, from which 96.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.07% of Lancaster County, SC residents were born outside of the country (7.38k people).

In 2024, there were 3.49 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (70.2k people) in Lancaster County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.89k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.4%

2024 Citizenship

96%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.4% of Lancaster County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lancaster County, SC was 96%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lancaster County, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
70.2k ± 247
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
20.1k ± 524
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
3.89k ± 696

7.47%

Hispanic Population

7.81k people

7.47% of the people in Lancaster County, SC are hispanic (7.81k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lancaster 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

7.07%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.38k people

7.54%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.61k people

As of 2024, 7.07% of Lancaster County, SC residents (7.38k 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 Lancaster County, SC was 7.54%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,015 ± 340
Gulf War (2001-)
1,553 ± 424
Gulf War (1990s)
790 ± 225

Lancaster County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lancaster County, SC employs 47.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lancaster County, SC were Manufacturing (7,594 people), Retail Trade (5,333 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (5,209 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($114,006), Finance & Insurance ($80,225), and Information ($80,000).

Employment

Occupations

47.2k

2024 Value

± 2,141

5.53%

1 Year growth

± 6.18%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lancaster County, SC grew at a rate of 5.53%, from 44.7k employees to 47.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lancaster County, SC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,134 people), Management Occupations (5,756 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,479 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lancaster 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

47.2k

2024 Value

± 2,141

5.53%

1 Year growth

± 6.18%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lancaster County, SC grew at a rate of 5.53%, from 44.7k employees to 47.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lancaster County, SC, are Manufacturing (7,594 people), Retail Trade (5,333 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (5,209 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lancaster County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Lancaster County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,208

Median earning men ± $2,724

$41,195

Median earning women ± $2,166

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,207), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($92,784), and Information ($86,989).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,819), Information ($68,237), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($67,143).

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

167
Other Services (except Public Administration)
128
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
124
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

$445k
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$163k
Finance and Insurance
$145k
Manufacturing

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Lancaster County, SC awarded 154 degrees. The student population of Lancaster County, SC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 986 male students and 1,342 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lancaster County, SC are White (114 and 74%), Black or African American (20 and 13%), Hispanic or Latino (13 and 8.44%), and Two or More Races (5 and 3.25%).

The largest universities in Lancaster County, SC by number of degrees awarded are University of South Carolina-Lancaster (154 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lancaster County, SC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (111 and 72.1%), General Business (26 and 16.9%), and Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (13 and 8.44%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Lancaster County, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 75.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 69.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 2,328 (42.4% men and 57.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 2,328 students enrolled in Lancaster County, SC, 42.4% men and 57.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,543 records, of which 56.8% were women and 43.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
111 degrees awarded
General Business
26 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
13 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Lancaster County, SC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 111 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Lancaster County, SC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

University of South Carolina-Lancaster

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

154 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of South Carolina-Lancaster with 154 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 57 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lancaster County, SC, which is 0.588 times less than the 97 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 114 degrees mean that there were 5.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 20 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 2-year ($7,158) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($400) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,600) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lancaster County, SC was $329,900 in 2024, which is 0.992 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $298,100 to $329,900, a 10.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Lancaster County, SC is 83.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lancaster County, SC have an average commute time of 28.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lancaster County, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lancaster County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.58%.

Housing

Property

$329,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,562

$33,409

Median Property Taxes

±$1,689

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 Lancaster County, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

83.3%

Homeownership

2024

67%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 83.3% of the housing units in Lancaster County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 83.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lancaster 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.

$78,869

Median Household Income

± $5,418

40.1k

Number of Households

± 1,854

In 2024, the median household income of the 40.1k households in Lancaster County, SC grew to $78,869 from the previous year's value of $74,751.

The following chart displays the households in Lancaster 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lancaster 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 (71.1%)
Worked At Home (19.5%)
Carpooled (6.98%)

In 2024, 71.1% of workers in Lancaster County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.98%).

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

28.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lancaster County, SC have a longer commute time (28.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.68% of the workforce in Lancaster County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lancaster County, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lancaster County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.58%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

11.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lancaster County, SC (11.7k out of 103k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lancaster County, SC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

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, 13.7% of the children was living in poverty in Lancaster County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 15.5%.

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 410 in Lancaster County, SC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 92.5 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

92.1% of the population of Lancaster County, SC has health coverage, with 48.3% on employee plans, 13.3% on Medicaid, 16.9% on Medicare, 12.6% on non-group plans, and 1.04% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lancaster County, SC see 2,447 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,447 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2490 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1503 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,447 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lancaster County, SC

Primary care physicians in Lancaster County, SC see an average of 2,447 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,447 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.8% under 18 years, 16.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.85%

Uninsured

48.3%

Employer Coverage

13.3%

Medicaid

16.9%

Medicare

12.6%

Non-Group

1.04%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lancaster County, SC declined by 5.74% from 8.33% to 7.85%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Lancaster 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 68.8 in Lancaster County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lancaster 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 36% in Lancaster County, SC.

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