Sumter County, South Carolina | |
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 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname: The Gamecock County | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Carolina | |
 South Carolina's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:33°55′N80°23′W / 33.92°N 80.38°W /33.92; -80.38 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Carolina |
| Founded | January 1, 1800[1] |
| Named after | Thomas Sumter |
| Seat | Sumter |
| Largest community | Sumter |
| Area | |
• Total | 682.09 sq mi (1,766.6 km2) |
| • Land | 665.08 sq mi (1,722.5 km2) |
| • Water | 17.01 sq mi (44.1 km2) 2.49% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 105,556 |
• Estimate (2024) | 104,776 |
| • Density | 158.71/sq mi (61.279/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th,6th |
| Website | www |
Sumter County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofSouth Carolina. As of the2020 census, the population was 105,556.[2] Itscounty seat isSumter.[3] Sumter County comprises the Sumter, SCMetropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theColumbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SCCombined Statistical Area.[4] The county is also part of "The Midlands" area.
It is the home ofShaw AFB, headquarters to the9th Air Force,AFCENT,United States Army Central, with a number of other tenant units. It is one of largest bases in the USAF'sAir Combat Command.
On September 17, 2024, theNational Park Service announced that the City ofSumter and Sumter County were jointly named aWorld War II Heritage City.[5]
In Sumter County, there is somewhat of a large population of people withTurkish ancestry that descend fromJoseph Benenhaley (1753-1823) and other Turks who fled theOttoman Empire and settled in Sumter County to serve in theAmerican Revolution.[1]
Sumter County was created fromClarendon,Claremont andSalem Counties as Sumter District in 1798, named afterGeneral Thomas Sumter,[6] and became effective in 1800.[7] When the home of Sumter District's clerk of records burnt in 1801, the formative records of the three predecessor counties were also destroyed in the conflagration.[6] So documentary evidence that the three counties were within St. Mark's Parish (formed in 1757 from Prince Frederick's Parish,Craven County) in Camden District (formed 1769) derives from family genealogies and legislative records.
On December 19, 1855, a legislative act was passed partitioning Sumter District by formingClarendon District, with the same boundaries as defined for Clarendon County in 1785. When effectuated in 1857, a northeastern part of Sumter District (formerly in Salem County) was also separated in the partition (the area east of a line drawn from the northernmost point of old Clarendon County continued north-northeasterly to a point on the boundary line withDarlington District (Sumter County's northeastern cornerpoint abuttingFlorence County since 1888).
The Sumter District gained a form of self-rule and was renamed Sumter County under the1868 Constitution.[8]
In 1898, a northwestern part of Sumter County was detached to form part of the first Lee County, but its formation was declared unconstitutional in 1899. In 1902, an even larger northern part of Sumter County (more or less the remaining part of former Salem County) was properly legally detached to form the major sections of the currentLee County, of which some acreage reverted in 1914.
In 1921, southern Sumter County received a section from Clarendon County, of which some acreage reverted in 1922, creating the current boundaries of Sumter County.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 682.09 square miles (1,766.6 km2), of which 665.08 square miles (1,722.5 km2) is land and 17.01 square miles (44.1 km2) (2.49%) is water.[9] It is drained by theBlack River and its tributaries.[10] Its western border is formed by theWateree River. One of South Carolina's most famous areas are theHigh Hills of Santee comprising the western part of the county. The county is one of five that bordersLake Marion, also known as South Carolina's "Inland Sea".
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,571 | — | |
| 1810 | 19,054 | 433.6% | |
| 1820 | 25,269 | 32.6% | |
| 1830 | 28,277 | 11.9% | |
| 1840 | 27,892 | −1.4% | |
| 1850 | 33,220 | 19.1% | |
| 1860 | 23,859 | −28.2% | |
| 1870 | 25,268 | 5.9% | |
| 1880 | 37,037 | 46.6% | |
| 1890 | 43,605 | 17.7% | |
| 1900 | 51,237 | 17.5% | |
| 1910 | 38,472 | −24.9% | |
| 1920 | 43,040 | 11.9% | |
| 1930 | 45,902 | 6.6% | |
| 1940 | 52,463 | 14.3% | |
| 1950 | 57,634 | 9.9% | |
| 1960 | 74,941 | 30.0% | |
| 1970 | 79,425 | 6.0% | |
| 1980 | 88,243 | 11.1% | |
| 1990 | 102,637 | 16.3% | |
| 2000 | 104,646 | 2.0% | |
| 2010 | 107,456 | 2.7% | |
| 2020 | 105,556 | −1.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 104,776 | [12] | −0.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[2] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 46,442 | 44.0% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 48,536 | 45.98% |
| Native American | 338 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 1,400 | 1.33% |
| Pacific Islander | 87 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 4,451 | 4.22% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 4,302 | 4.08% |
As of the2020 census, there were 105,556 people, 44,105 households, and 29,777 families residing in the county.
At the2010 census, there were 107,456 people, 40,398 households, and 28,311 families residing in the county.[19] The population density was 161.6 inhabitants per square mile (62.4/km2). There were 46,011 housing units at an average density of 69.2 per square mile (26.7/km2).[20] The racial makeup of the county was 48.2% white, 46.9% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 7.2% wereSubsaharan African, 6.9% wereAmerican, 6.1% wereEnglish, 5.9% wereGerman, and 5.7% wereIrish.[21]
Of the 40,398 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 35.4 years.[19]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,137 and the median income for a family was $45,460. Males had a median income of $36,101 versus $28,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,944. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.[22]
A Republican-leaning swing county beginning around 1950, Sumter County has supported Democrats in every election beginning in 2004. Republicans have still gained over 40% of the vote since then, however, and the Democrat margins of victory were narrow (less than 5%) in both 2004 and 2024.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 639 | 29.29% | 1,535 | 70.35% | 8 | 0.37% |
| 1896 | 326 | 17.16% | 1,550 | 81.58% | 24 | 1.26% |
| 1900 | 150 | 11.12% | 1,199 | 88.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1904 | 137 | 12.97% | 919 | 87.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1908 | 173 | 12.28% | 1,228 | 87.15% | 8 | 0.57% |
| 1912 | 31 | 3.12% | 910 | 91.64% | 52 | 5.24% |
| 1916 | 142 | 9.34% | 1,357 | 89.28% | 21 | 1.38% |
| 1920 | 194 | 14.43% | 1,150 | 85.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 18 | 1.48% | 1,136 | 93.42% | 62 | 5.10% |
| 1928 | 174 | 12.65% | 1,202 | 87.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 59 | 3.14% | 1,809 | 96.43% | 8 | 0.43% |
| 1936 | 58 | 2.74% | 2,062 | 97.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 73 | 3.04% | 2,111 | 87.92% | 217 | 9.04% |
| 1948 | 154 | 4.43% | 605 | 17.40% | 2,718 | 78.17% |
| 1952 | 4,726 | 70.12% | 2,014 | 29.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,356 | 22.47% | 937 | 15.53% | 3,741 | 62.00% |
| 1960 | 4,633 | 63.91% | 2,616 | 36.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 7,729 | 67.19% | 3,775 | 32.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,451 | 33.43% | 6,103 | 37.42% | 4,754 | 29.15% |
| 1972 | 10,892 | 64.83% | 5,801 | 34.53% | 107 | 0.64% |
| 1976 | 9,332 | 46.87% | 10,471 | 52.59% | 109 | 0.55% |
| 1980 | 10,557 | 52.45% | 9,205 | 45.74% | 364 | 1.81% |
| 1984 | 12,909 | 57.14% | 9,566 | 42.35% | 115 | 0.51% |
| 1988 | 13,161 | 57.72% | 9,502 | 41.67% | 138 | 0.61% |
| 1992 | 12,576 | 47.29% | 11,852 | 44.56% | 2,168 | 8.15% |
| 1996 | 12,080 | 47.57% | 12,198 | 48.04% | 1,114 | 4.39% |
| 2000 | 15,915 | 51.89% | 14,365 | 46.83% | 392 | 1.28% |
| 2004 | 18,074 | 48.84% | 18,695 | 50.52% | 234 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 18,581 | 41.89% | 25,431 | 57.33% | 346 | 0.78% |
| 2012 | 19,274 | 40.74% | 27,589 | 58.32% | 446 | 0.94% |
| 2016 | 18,745 | 42.52% | 24,047 | 54.55% | 1,294 | 2.94% |
| 2020 | 21,000 | 42.93% | 27,379 | 55.97% | 541 | 1.11% |
| 2024 | 21,215 | 46.97% | 23,425 | 51.86% | 530 | 1.17% |
In 2022, theGDP was $5 billion (about $48,450 per capita),[25] and thereal GDP was $4.2 billion (about $40,489 per capita) inchained 2017 dollars.[26]
As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county includeBecton Dickinson,Central Carolina Technical College, the city ofSumter,Continental AG, theUnited States Department of Defense,Eaton Corporation,SKF,JCPenney,Pilgrim's Pride,Prisma Health,Speedway, andWalmart.[27]
| Industry | Employment Counts | Employment Percentage (%) | Average Annual Wage ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 3,537 | 10.0 | 18,980 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,736 | 4.9 | 42,380 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 241 | 0.7 | 49,244 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 342 | 1.0 | 16,692 |
| Construction | 2,529 | 7.2 | 63,388 |
| Educational Services | 2,912 | 8.3 | 48,048 |
| Finance and Insurance | 824 | 2.3 | 73,060 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 5,453 | 15.5 | 53,768 |
| Information | 187 | 0.5 | 62,608 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 223 | 0.6 | 93,912 |
| Manufacturing | 6,366 | 18.1 | 62,140 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 978 | 2.8 | 39,312 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 934 | 2.7 | 75,036 |
| Public Administration | 2,510 | 7.1 | 58,448 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 221 | 0.6 | 43,680 |
| Retail Trade | 4,497 | 12.8 | 29,796 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 896 | 2.5 | 60,476 |
| Utilities | 143 | 0.4 | 79,248 |
| Wholesale Trade | 710 | 2.0 | 61,568 |
| Total | 35,239 | 100.0% | 49,611 |
All areas in the county are in theSumter County Consolidated School District.[28] Additionally, theUniversity of South Carolina Sumter is located in the county.[29]
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Geographic data related toSumter County, South Carolina atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Sumter County, South Carolina | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofSumter County, South Carolina,United States | ||
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