County or City Overview
Sumter County is a county located in South Carolina. The county consists of 19 different communities/towns/cities. Sumter being the only city and also the county seat.
Cities
- Sumter
Towns
- Mayesville
- Pinewood
Communities
- Cane Savannah
- Cherryvale
- Dalzell
- East Sumter
- Lakewood
- Millwood
- Mulberry
- Oakland
- Oswego
- Privateer
- Rembert
- Shiloh
- South Sumter
- Stateburg
- Wedgefield
- Horatio
Of the 19 listed above Sumter is the most populated with an estimated 39,642 people living in the city.
Population
The population of Sumter County is declining. In 2010 the population size was 107,456. The estimated population as of 2021 was 104,758. This is a decline of about 3%. A majority of people who leave Sumter County migrate to Richland County, Greenville County or Charleston County. The decline in population is a concern and not good for overall real estate prices.
Age and Sex
52.7% of the people living in Sumter County are between the ages of 18-64. 23.8% are under the age of 18 and 16.9% are over the age of 65.
Race and Origin
In Sumter County, 47.9% of the population is white and 47.9% of the population is black. 4.2% are hispanic or latino. 3.1% of the total population in Sumter is foreign-born. About 10,000 residents are veterans. This number does not include the large population of active military servicemen stationed at Shaw Air Force Base.
Housing
According to data from the US Census, there are about 48,600 housing units in Sumter County. 64.5% of them are owner-occupied with a median value of $119,800. This median value is significantly less than the median value of housing in Richland ($167,500), Charleston ($334,600) and Greenville ($218,206) counties. Population declines in Sumter County will continue to put downward pressure on the median home price value.
Education
87% of the population in Sumter County is high school educated. And 20.8% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. For comparison, the U.S. averages are 88.5% and 32.9%, respectively. Despite the lower averages, Sumter County is the home of Central Carolina Technical College. The college offers a variety of “no-cost tuition” programs for members of the community.
Economy
Of the total population (working-age 16 years+) 55.7% are employed with a median household income of $46,570. The U.S. National average for median household income during the same period was $64,994. About 20.5% of the population in Sumter County is considered to be a person in poverty.
