Lee County, SC

County

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2023 Population

16,330

1.37% 1-year decline

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

41.8

0.723% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

23.3%

16.2% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$44,145

12.9% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$101,900

9.1% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

6,116

8.75% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Lee County, SC had a population of 16.3k people with a median age of 41.8 and a median household income of $44,145. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lee County, SC declined from 16,557 to 16,330, a −1.37% decrease and its median household income grew from $39,099 to $44,145, a 12.9% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lee County, SC are Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (62.2%), White (Non-Hispanic) (33.2%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.01%), Other (Hispanic) (1.08%), and White (Hispanic) (0.753%).

None of the households in Lee 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.

97.7% of the residents in Lee County, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Lee County, SC was $101,900, and the homeownership rate was 73.5%.

Most people in Lee County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Lee County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Lee County, SC borders Darlington County, SC, Florence County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, and Sumter County, SC.

United States South Carolina

Population & Diversity

Lee County, SC is home to a population of 16.3k people, from which 97.7% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.47% of Lee County, SC residents were born outside of the country (403 people).

In 2023, there were 1.87 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.2k people) in Lee County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.42k White (Non-Hispanic) and 329 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

97.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.7% of Lee County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lee County, SC was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lee County, SC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.2k ± 134
White (Non-Hispanic)
5.42k ± 19
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
329 ± 132

2.32%

Hispanic Population

379 people

2.32% of the people in Lee County, SC are hispanic (379 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Lee 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
58,419 ± 5,900 people
India
18,341 ± 3,319 people
Honduras
13,844 ± 2,885 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 58,419 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 18,341 and Honduras with 13,844.

Foreign-Born Population

2.47%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

403 people

2.18%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

361 people

As of 2023, 2.47% of Lee County, SC residents (403 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lee County, SC was 2.18%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
334 ± 91
Gulf War (1990s)
188 ± 78
Gulf War (2001-)
126 ± 77

Lee County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.78 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Lee County, SC employs 6.12k people. The largest industries in Lee County, SC are Manufacturing (1,283 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (731 people), and Retail Trade (701 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($86,094), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($63,412), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,481).

Males in South Carolina have an average income that is 1.37 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,636. The income inequality in South Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.464, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

6.12k

2023 Value

± 569

8.75%

1 Year growth

± 12.1%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lee County, SC grew at a rate of 8.75%, from 5.62k employees to 6.12k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lee County, SC, are Production Occupations (1,165 people), Sales & Related Occupations (690 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (612 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lee County, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

6.12k

2023 Value

± 569

8.75%

1 Year growth

± 12.1%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lee County, SC grew at a rate of 8.75%, from 5.62k employees to 6.12k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lee County, SC, are Manufacturing (1,283 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (731 people), and Retail Trade (701 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lee County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Lee County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,444

Median earning men ± $2,586

$30,778

Median earning women ± $3,907

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($54,688), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($47,596), and Public Administration ($44,747).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,962), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($47,422), and Public Administration ($43,227).

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

27
Other Services (except Public Administration)
18
Retail Trade
14
Retail Trade

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

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$17.3k
Manufacturing
$9.78k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$8.8k
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

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

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.83% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.688% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (892k), and Bachelors Degree (705k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lee County, SC was $101,900 in 2023, which is 0.336 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $93,400 to $101,900, a 9.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Lee County, SC is 73.5%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Lee County, SC have an average commute time of 28.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lee County, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Lee County, SC is $44,145. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Lee County, SC was Census Tract 9201 with a value of $60,000, followed by Census Tract 9205 and Census Tract 9203.02, with respective values of $42,679 and $28,239.

In 2023, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.28%.

Housing

Property

$101,900

Median Property Value 2023

±$10,739

$4,623

Median Property Taxes

±$449

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

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

Rent vs Own

73.5%

Homeownership

2023

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 73.5% of the housing units in Lee County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.7%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9201
Census Tract 9205
Census Tract 9203.02

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Lee County, SC was Census Tract 9201 with a value of $60,000, followed by Census Tract 9205 and Census Tract 9203.02, with respective values of $42,679 and $28,239.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Lee County, SC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$44,145

Median Household Income

± $3,568

6.29k

Number of Households

± 524

In 2023, the median household income of the 6.29k households in Lee County, SC grew to $44,145 from the previous year's value of $39,099.

The following chart displays the households in Lee 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 Lee County, SC is from South Carolina.

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.334% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (80.6%)
Carpooled (14.6%)
Other (1.81%)

In 2023, 80.6% of workers in Lee County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.6%) and those who used some unspecified means to get work (1.81%).

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

28.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lee County, SC have a longer commute time (28.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.79% of the workforce in Lee County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.28%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

23.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lee County, SC (3.53k out of 15.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lee County, SC is Black, followed by White 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 2023, 34% of the children was living in poverty in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 6.1%.

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.

Health

89.7% of the population of Lee County, SC has health coverage, with 33.5% on employee plans, 26.6% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 13% on non-group plans, and 2.19% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lee County, SC see 8350 patients per year on average, which represents a 48.9% increase from the previous year (5609 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 8140 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 857 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

8,350 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lee County, SC

Primary care physicians in Lee County, SC see an average of 8,350 patients per year. This represents a 48.9% increase from the previous year (5,609 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.2% under 18 years, 19.2% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.3%

Uninsured

33.5%

Employer Coverage

26.6%

Medicaid

14.5%

Medicare

13%

Non-Group

2.19%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lee County, SC declined by 1.16% from 10.4% to 10.3%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 103 in Lee County, SC.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, 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 44.3% in Lee County, SC.

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