| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 1 | 39.68% | 40,728 | 29,158 |
| Horry County | 2 | 24.6% | 440,795 | 353,774 |
| Berkeley County | 3 | 22.4% | 283,340 | 231,478 |
| Lancaster County | 4 | 21.44% | 117,293 | 96,589 |
| Spartanburg County | 5 | 18.95% | 391,780 | 329,370 |
| Edgefield County | 6 | 18.29% | 30,369 | 25,674 |
| Kershaw County | 7 | 13.46% | 74,420 | 65,590 |
| Greenville County | 8 | 12.35% | 592,380 | 527,244 |
| Dorchester County | 9 | 12.28% | 181,955 | 162,056 |
| McCormick County | 10 | 9.78% | 10,453 | 9,522 |
| Beaufort County | 11 | 9.61% | 205,860 | 187,814 |
| York County | 12 | 9.58% | 311,013 | 283,833 |
| Aiken County | 13 | 9.16% | 184,667 | 169,170 |
| Anderson County | 14 | 8.96% | 222,470 | 204,181 |
| Lexington County | 15 | 8.85% | 321,092 | 294,989 |
| Laurens County | 16 | 8.22% | 73,188 | 67,626 |
| Oconee County | 17 | 7.86% | 84,984 | 78,794 |
| Charleston County | 18 | 7.13% | 439,143 | 409,934 |
| Pickens County | 19 | 6.71% | 140,537 | 131,698 |
| Richland County | 20 | 5.62% | 439,112 | 415,755 |
| Newberry County | 21 | 5.47% | 39,801 | 37,736 |
| Saluda County | 22 | 4.64% | 19,791 | 18,914 |
| Cherokee County | 23 | 4.36% | 58,676 | 56,225 |
| Chesterfield County | 24 | 4.12% | 45,040 | 43,256 |
| Chester County | 25 | 3.62% | 33,455 | 32,287 |
| Georgetown County | 26 | 3.44% | 65,692 | 63,508 |
| Abbeville County | 27 | 2.99% | 24,993 | 24,267 |
| Colleton County | 28 | 2.07% | 39,335 | 38,538 |
| Greenwood County | 29 | 1.8% | 70,578 | 69,329 |
| Florence County | 30 | 1.36% | 138,691 | 136,826 |
| Barnwell County | 31 | 1.04% | 20,794 | 20,580 |
| Clarendon County | 32 | 0.65% | 31,033 | 30,832 |
| Calhoun County | 33 | 0.56% | 14,190 | 14,111 |
| Darlington County | 34 | 0.38% | 63,093 | 62,853 |
| Sumter County | 35 | -0.06% | 105,346 | 105,409 |
| Orangeburg County | 36 | -0.93% | 83,183 | 83,961 |
| Union County | 37 | -1.36% | 26,804 | 27,173 |
| Hampton County | 38 | -1.95% | 18,164 | 18,526 |
| Fairfield County | 39 | -3.3% | 20,202 | 20,892 |
| Dillon County | 40 | -3.32% | 27,335 | 28,274 |
| Bamberg County | 41 | -3.79% | 12,756 | 13,259 |
| Marion County | 42 | -3.81% | 27,980 | 29,088 |
| Marlboro County | 43 | -4.01% | 25,432 | 26,494 |
| Williamsburg County | 44 | -4.5% | 29,523 | 30,914 |
| Lee County | 45 | -5.82% | 15,587 | 16,551 |
| Allendale County | 46 | -9.58% | 7,179 | 7,940 |
South Carolina's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Jasper County leads with 5.73% annualized growth, followed by Horry County (3.73%) and Berkeley County (3.43%). The largest counties are Greenville County (592,380), Horry County (440,795), and Charleston County (439,143). Of the 46 counties in South Carolina, 34 are growing while 12 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.9% annualized growth, with total population growing by 1.62% annually.
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