| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 1 | 35.76% | 39,570 | 29,148 |
| Horry County | 2 | 25.34% | 443,425 | 353,779 |
| Lancaster County | 3 | 21.5% | 117,364 | 96,592 |
| Berkeley County | 4 | 21.2% | 280,582 | 231,508 |
| Edgefield County | 5 | 21.17% | 31,107 | 25,673 |
| Spartanburg County | 6 | 18.51% | 390,388 | 329,405 |
| Kershaw County | 7 | 14.04% | 74,804 | 65,596 |
| Dorchester County | 8 | 13.82% | 184,449 | 162,059 |
| Greenville County | 9 | 12.44% | 592,843 | 527,266 |
| Beaufort County | 10 | 10.42% | 207,403 | 187,829 |
| York County | 11 | 10% | 312,253 | 283,862 |
| Anderson County | 12 | 9.48% | 223,553 | 204,192 |
| Lexington County | 13 | 9.01% | 321,568 | 294,993 |
| McCormick County | 14 | 8.98% | 10,377 | 9,522 |
| Aiken County | 15 | 8.57% | 183,667 | 169,174 |
| Laurens County | 16 | 8.26% | 73,215 | 67,628 |
| Charleston County | 17 | 7.67% | 441,393 | 409,958 |
| Pickens County | 18 | 7.23% | 141,213 | 131,689 |
| Oconee County | 19 | 7.09% | 84,371 | 78,787 |
| Richland County | 20 | 6.2% | 441,481 | 415,697 |
| Cherokee County | 21 | 5.69% | 59,424 | 56,226 |
| Newberry County | 22 | 5.4% | 39,777 | 37,738 |
| Georgetown County | 23 | 4.67% | 66,481 | 63,517 |
| Chesterfield County | 24 | 4.55% | 45,224 | 43,254 |
| Saluda County | 25 | 4.48% | 19,756 | 18,908 |
| Colleton County | 26 | 3.01% | 39,697 | 38,538 |
| Greenwood County | 27 | 2.25% | 70,959 | 69,395 |
| Abbeville County | 28 | 1.78% | 24,695 | 24,262 |
| Florence County | 29 | 1.77% | 139,239 | 136,814 |
| Calhoun County | 30 | 1.54% | 14,331 | 14,113 |
| Chester County | 31 | 1.09% | 32,643 | 32,291 |
| Clarendon County | 32 | 0.04% | 30,852 | 30,841 |
| Sumter County | 33 | 0.01% | 105,508 | 105,493 |
| Barnwell County | 34 | 0% | 20,589 | 20,590 |
| Darlington County | 35 | -0.48% | 62,539 | 62,842 |
| Orangeburg County | 36 | -1.05% | 83,091 | 83,971 |
| Hampton County | 37 | -1.85% | 18,182 | 18,525 |
| Union County | 38 | -2.39% | 26,532 | 27,182 |
| Fairfield County | 39 | -2.63% | 20,323 | 20,872 |
| Lee County | 40 | -3.18% | 16,020 | 16,546 |
| Dillon County | 41 | -3.44% | 27,307 | 28,280 |
| Marion County | 42 | -3.51% | 28,060 | 29,082 |
| Williamsburg County | 43 | -4.47% | 29,539 | 30,921 |
| Bamberg County | 44 | -4.77% | 12,628 | 13,261 |
| Marlboro County | 45 | -5.83% | 24,950 | 26,496 |
| Allendale County | 46 | -5.96% | 7,461 | 7,934 |
South Carolina's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Jasper County leads with 5.23% annualized growth, followed by Horry County (3.84%) and Lancaster County (3.3%). The largest counties are Greenville County (592,843), Horry County (443,425), and Richland County (441,481). Of the 46 counties in South Carolina, 33 are growing while 13 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.92% annualized growth, with total population growing by 1.65% annually.
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