Lee County, SC

County

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2024 Population

16,166

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.4

1.44% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

25%

7.29% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$44,760

1.39% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$104,600

2.65% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,847

4.4% 1-year decline

About

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.

97.8% of the residents in Lee County, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lee County, SC was $104,600, and the homeownership rate was 70.5%.

Most people in Lee County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.9 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 16.2k people, from which 97.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.35% of Lee County, SC residents were born outside of the country (380 people).

In 2024, there were 1.87 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.1k people) in Lee County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.37k White (Non-Hispanic) and 287 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Lee County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lee County, SC was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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)
10.1k ± 143
White (Non-Hispanic)
5.37k ± 19
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
287 ± 141

2.41%

Hispanic Population

390 people

2.41% of the people in Lee County, SC are hispanic (390 people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
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

2.35%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

380 people

2.47%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

403 people

As of 2024, 2.35% of Lee County, SC residents (380 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 Lee County, SC was 2.47%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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
386 ± 107
Gulf War (1990s)
156 ± 69
Gulf War (2001-)
111 ± 60

Lee County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.47 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lee County, SC employs 5.85k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lee County, SC were Manufacturing (1,186 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (708 people), and Retail Trade (669 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($89,130), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,659), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,844).

Employment

Occupations

5.85k

2024 Value

± 544

−4.4%

1 Year decline

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lee County, SC declined at a rate of −4.4%, from 6.12k employees to 5.85k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lee County, SC, are Production Occupations (1,039 people), Sales & Related Occupations (678 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (565 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 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

5.85k

2024 Value

± 544

−4.4%

1 Year decline

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lee County, SC declined at a rate of −4.4%, from 6.12k employees to 5.85k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lee County, SC, are Manufacturing (1,186 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (708 people), and Retail Trade (669 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

$36,466

Median earning men ± $5,900

$31,641

Median earning women ± $4,516

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,210), Public Administration ($48,611), and Construction ($41,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,125), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,524), and Public Administration ($45,393).

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.

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

$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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lee County, SC was $104,600 in 2024, which is 0.314 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $101,900 to $104,600, a 2.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Lee County, SC is 70.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lee County, SC have an average commute time of 28.9 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.

In 2025, 16.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.79%.

Housing

Property

$104,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,189

$4,477

Median Property Taxes

±$438

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

70.5%

Homeownership

2024

69.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.5% of the housing units in Lee County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lee 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.

$44,760

Median Household Income

± $5,515

6.35k

Number of Households

± 544

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.35k households in Lee County, SC grew to $44,760 from the previous year's value of $44,145.

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

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 (81.6%)
Carpooled (11.8%)
Worked At Home (2.88%)

In 2024, 81.6% of workers in Lee County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.8%) and those who worked at home (2.88%).

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

28.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lee County, SC have a longer commute time (28.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.56% 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 2025, 16.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.79%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

25% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lee County, SC (3.74k out of 15k 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 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

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 2025, 33.8% of the children was living in poverty in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.3%.

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 610 in Lee County, SC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 52.4 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89.7% of the population of Lee County, SC has health coverage, with 30.7% on employee plans, 27.6% on Medicaid, 15.5% on Medicare, 14.1% on non-group plans, and 1.76% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lee County, SC see 8,140 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (8,140 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 8076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 840 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.4% were men and 52.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

8,140 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lee County, SC

Primary care physicians in Lee County, SC see an average of 8,140 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (8,140 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 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.5% under 18 years, 18.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.4% were men and 52.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.3%

Uninsured

30.7%

Employer Coverage

27.6%

Medicaid

15.5%

Medicare

14.1%

Non-Group

1.76%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lee County, SC declined by 0.632% from 10.3% 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 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 134 in Lee County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lee 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 49.1% in Lee County, SC.

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