County profile

Kershaw County

South Carolina · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
68,314
Median household income
$68,231
People below poverty
13.2%
Median home value
$217,100

Income

The median income of households in Kershaw County, South Carolina was $68,231. An estimated 5.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.7
$10,000 to $14,999 3.3
$15,000 to $24,999 7.1
$25,000 to $34,999 6.8
$35,000 to $49,999 13.4
$50,000 to $74,999 18
$75,000 to $99,999 14.3
$100,000 to $149,999 16.9
$150,000 to $199,999 7.9
$200,000 or more 6.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 54665
Female 46935

An estimated 73.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 37.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 31.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,012. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 73.7
Social Security 37.8
Retirement income 31.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.4
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 19.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.3% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 11.6% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 13.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 19.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.3
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 11.6

In 2020-2024, 11.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 46.2% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 41.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 35.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024, 91.4% had health insurance coverage and 8.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67.5% and public coverage was 41.6%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.7%.


In 2020-2024, Kershaw County, South Carolina had a total population of 68,314 - 34,888 (51.1%) females and 33,426 (48.9%) males. The median age was 40.4 years. An estimated 23.2% of the population was under 18 years, 29.6% was 19 to 44 years, 26% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 2060 1820
5 to 9 2404 2113
10 to 14 2288 2214
15 to 19 2424 2105
20 to 24 1781 1609
25 to 29 1816 1772
30 to 34 2042 2422
35 to 39 2486 2494
40 to 44 1874 1918
45 to 49 1922 2167
50 to 54 2076 2277
55 to 59 2157 2427
60 to 64 2285 2437
65 to 69 2029 2253
70 to 74 1666 1945
75 to 79 1408 1448
80 to 84 411 770
85 and over 297 697

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 66.7% were White; 23.7% were Black or African American; 13.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 10.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.9% of the people in Kershaw County, South Carolina were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 65.8% of the people in Kershaw County, South Carolina were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 26,897 households in Kershaw County, South Carolina. The average household size was 2.53 people.

Married-couple households made up 51.8% of the households in Kershaw County, South Carolina while cohabiting couple households made up 5.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.5% of all households, while 16.3% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 13.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 25.9% of all households.

In Kershaw County, South Carolina, 31.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 51.8
Cohabiting Couples 5.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
16.3
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 54.9% of males and 52% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 29.8 24.2
Now married, except separated 54.9 52
Separated 2.2 2.4
Widowed 3.9 9.4
Divorced 9.2 12

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Kershaw County, South Carolina, 1,948 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 43.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 96.8% of the people living in Kershaw County, South Carolina were U.S. natives. 63.5% of the Kershaw County, South Carolina population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3.2% of Kershaw County, South Carolina residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 53.9% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 81.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Kershaw County, South Carolina come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Kershaw County, South Carolina.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 64.4
Asia 16.8
Europe 14.7
Africa 0.4
Northern America 3.7
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024, 5.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 4.4% of people at least five years old; 1.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 4.4
Other Indo-European languages 0.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Kershaw County, South Carolina were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 91.4
Different house, same county 2.4
Different county, same state 3.7
Different state 2
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 89.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 24% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 10.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Kershaw County, South Carolina was 16,299 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,097 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 12,180. College or graduate school enrollment was 3,022.

Educational Attainment of People in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 10.9
High school diploma or equivalency 33.6
Some college, no degree 22.4
Associate's degree 9.1
Bachelor's degree 15.1
Graduate or professional degree 8.9

Disability

In Kershaw County, South Carolina, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.2% of people under 18 years old, to 15% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34.2% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Kershaw County, South Carolina, 56 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 40.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.7% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 23,328 76.7
Federal, state, or local government workers 5,041 16.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,026 6.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Kershaw County, South Carolina worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.7
Construction 7.5
Manufacturing 14.6
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 9.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.3
Information 1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8.6
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.1
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.2
Other Services, except public administration 6.5
Public administration 6.2

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 10,702 35.2
Service occupations 4,696 15.4
Sales and office occupations 6,447 21.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,126 10.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,442 17.9

Commuting to Work

An estimated 81.1% of Kershaw County, South Carolina workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.7% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 30 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 81.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.7
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 0.2
Other means 0.8
Worked from home 9.2

In 2020-2024, Kershaw County, South Carolina had a total of 30,134 housing units. Of these housing units, 75.8% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 4.8% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 19.3% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 75.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 4.8
Mobile homes 19.3
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

16.7% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 2.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Kershaw County, South Carolina was 6.3 rooms, and of these housing units 81.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Kershaw County, South Carolina had 26,897 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,237 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 82% while renters occupied 18%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.59 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.22.

4.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.1% and another 30.7% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Kershaw County, South Carolina:

House Heating Fuel Used in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 25.2
Electricity 71.5
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.4
All other fuels 2
No fuel used 0.9

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Kershaw County, South Carolina was $217,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 58.2 % had a mortgage. 41.8% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,421 and for owners without a mortgage it was $411.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Kershaw County, South Carolina was $971. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.