county

Colleton County, SC

Demographic and economic profile of Colleton County, SC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Colleton County is a small, predominantly rural South Carolina county with a population of 38,623 that grew 2.8% over five years, supported by a workforce where 85.6% hold at least a high school diploma but only 16.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Labor force participation is low at 55.1%, unemployment stands at 9.3%, and median worker earnings reach $35,014, reflecting a cost-competitive but constrained labor market. Housing costs remain accessible, with a median home value of $145,900 and median gross rent of $905/month, though a poverty rate of 18.7% and mean commute of 35.6 minutes point to structural economic pressures in the county.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

38,623

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$51,114

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

42.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+2.8% since 2018

Colleton County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone22,225 (57.3%)
  • Black or African American Alone13,094 (33.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races1,507 (3.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race829 (2.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone809 (2.1%)
  • Asian Alone172 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish1,072
  2. 2.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)85
  3. 3.Other Indo-European77
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic56
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)41

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

22.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

57.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

20.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

2,692

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$27,595

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$27,859

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

9.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

18.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance3,047
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)1,968
  3. 3.Construction (Group)1,953
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)1,814
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services1,526

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations4,261
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations3,111
  3. 3.Service Occupations2,749
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations2,729
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations2,632

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Construction (LQ 1.62×)1,716
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.27×)1,926
  3. 3.Retail Trade (LQ 1.18×)1,960
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.16×)836
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.13×)275

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$145,900

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$905/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

73.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $250,000 to $299,9991,273 (10.6%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9991,208 (10.0%)
  • $150,000 to $174,9991,127 (9.4%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9991,084 (9.0%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999692 (5.8%)
  • $80,000 to $89,999629 (5.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

16.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

85.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

55.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$35,014

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

34.9 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

10.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone12,013 (78.9%)
  • Carpooled1,769 (11.6%)
  • Worked At Home964 (6.3%)
  • Other274 (1.8%)
  • Walked164 (1.1%)
  • Public Transit24 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.