Colleton County, South Carolina Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Colleton County is located in South Carolina with a total population of 38,623. It is the 26th most populous county out of 46 in South Carolina. The county encompasses 8 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Colleton County is 42.2 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 40.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Colleton County is $48,779. This is 27% lower than the state median of $66,818. It is also 38% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 18.7%. This is 32% higher than the state poverty rate of 14.2%. The unemployment rate is 9.3%. This is 88% higher than the state rate of 5.0%. The median home value is $145,900. Housing costs are 38% lower than the state median of $236,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 73.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 2% higher than the state average of 71.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Colleton County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 56.6% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 34.6%. The Asian population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 1.7%.

Education

16.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 47% lower than the state rate of 31.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 85.6%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Colleton County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against South Carolina and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.