Saluda County, SC

County

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2024 Population

19,131

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.6

0.93% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.7%

3.48% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,009

3.68% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$146,500

18.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

8,473

1.44% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Saluda 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.

94.2% of the residents in Saluda County, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Saluda County, SC was $146,500, and the homeownership rate was 78.7%.

Most people in Saluda County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Saluda County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Saluda County, SC borders Aiken County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Lexington County, SC, and Newberry County, SC.

United States South Carolina Columbia, SC

Population & Diversity

Saluda County, SC is home to a population of 19.1k people, from which 94.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.28% of Saluda County, SC residents were born outside of the country (1.39k people).

In 2024, there were 2.69 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.9k people) in Saluda County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.06k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.81k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.2%

2024 Citizenship

94.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.2% of Saluda County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Saluda County, SC was 94.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Saluda County, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.9k ± 187
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.06k ± 158
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.81k ± 332

17.1%

Hispanic Population

3.28k people

17.1% of the people in Saluda County, SC are hispanic (3.28k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Saluda 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

7.28%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.39k people

7.13%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.35k people

As of 2024, 7.28% of Saluda County, SC residents (1.39k 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 Saluda County, SC was 7.13%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
334 ± 134
Gulf War (2001-)
211 ± 118
Gulf War (1990s)
119 ± 93

Saluda County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.58 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Saluda County, SC employs 8.47k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Saluda County, SC were Manufacturing (1,306 people), Retail Trade (869 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (849 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($118,646), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,951), and Transportation & Warehousing ($72,522).

Employment

Occupations

8.47k

2024 Value

± 629

1.44%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Saluda County, SC grew at a rate of 1.44%, from 8.35k employees to 8.47k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Saluda County, SC, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (837 people), Production Occupations (834 people), and Management Occupations (727 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Saluda 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

8.47k

2024 Value

± 629

1.44%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Saluda County, SC grew at a rate of 1.44%, from 8.35k employees to 8.47k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Saluda County, SC, are Manufacturing (1,306 people), Retail Trade (869 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (849 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Saluda County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Saluda County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,860

Median earning men ± $2,582

$34,844

Median earning women ± $3,062

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,408), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($69,333), and Public Administration ($53,000).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,716), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($64,766), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($53,158).

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

28
Other Services (except Public Administration)
28
Construction
20
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

$116k
Manufacturing
$16.6k
Construction
$13.2k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Saluda County, SC was $146,500 in 2024, which is 0.44 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $123,200 to $146,500, a 18.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Saluda County, SC is 78.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Saluda County, SC have an average commute time of 28.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Saluda 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 Saluda County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 4.71%.

Housing

Property

$146,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,473

$6,035

Median Property Taxes

±$506

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

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

Rent vs Own

78.7%

Homeownership

2024

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 78.7% of the housing units in Saluda County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Saluda 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.

$51,009

Median Household Income

± $5,886

7.67k

Number of Households

± 574

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.67k households in Saluda County, SC declined from $51,009 from the previous year's value of $52,957.

The following chart displays the households in Saluda 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 Saluda 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 (78.5%)
Carpooled (7.29%)
Worked At Home (6.22%)

In 2024, 78.5% of workers in Saluda County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.29%) and those who worked at home (6.22%).

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

28.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Saluda County, SC have a longer commute time (28.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.93% of the workforce in Saluda County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 16.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Saluda County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 4.71%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

18.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Saluda County, SC (3.54k out of 18.9k 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 Males 35 - 44, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Saluda County, SC is White, followed by Hispanic 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, 24.4% of the children was living in poverty in Saluda County, SC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.3%.

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 312 in Saluda County, SC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 223 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

82.1% of the population of Saluda County, SC has health coverage, with 34.2% on employee plans, 17.9% on Medicaid, 14.7% on Medicare, 14% on non-group plans, and 1.36% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Saluda County, SC see 6,274 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (6,274 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3788 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1738 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

6,274 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Saluda County, SC

Primary care physicians in Saluda County, SC see an average of 6,274 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (6,274 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.2% under 18 years, 16.3% between 18 and 34 years, 39.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

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

Uninsured People

17.9%

Uninsured

34.2%

Employer Coverage

17.9%

Medicaid

14.7%

Medicare

14%

Non-Group

1.36%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Saluda County, SC grew by 10.8% from 16.1% to 17.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Saluda 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 120 in Saluda County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Saluda 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 38.9% in Saluda County, SC.

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