county

Saluda County, SC

Demographic and economic profile of Saluda County, SC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Saluda County is a small rural county of 18,958 residents with a labor force participation rate of 55.8% and a median worker earnings of $35,949, reflecting a cost-competitive workforce where only 19.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Housing costs are low, with a median home value of $123,200 and median gross rent of $814/month, and homeownership stands at 78.7%. The county has seen a population decline of 6.6% over five years, carries a 19.4% poverty rate, and posts a GDP per capita of $24,497 against a median household income of $51,009.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

18,958

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$51,009

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

42.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-6.6% since 2018

Saluda County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone11,275 (58.9%)
  • Black or African American Alone4,063 (21.2%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race1,928 (10.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone1,179 (6.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races532 (2.8%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone76 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish2,661
  2. 2.Other Indo-European176
  3. 3.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)52
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic44
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)6

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

21.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

58.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

20.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

7.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,033

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$24,497

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$29,590

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

19.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,436
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)1,306
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)869
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services847
  5. 5.Construction (Group)747

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,390
  2. 2.Service Occupations2,082
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,595
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations1,217
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,189

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 4.39×)585
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.74×)1,445
  3. 3.Wholesale Trade (LQ 1.64×)316
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.45×)571
  5. 5.Construction (LQ 1.30×)749

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$123,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$814/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

78.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999528 (8.7%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999521 (8.6%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999426 (7.1%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999418 (6.9%)
  • $50,000 to $59,999408 (6.8%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999375 (6.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

19.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

84.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

55.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$35,949

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

28.5 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone6,382 (78.5%)
  • Carpooled593 (7.3%)
  • Worked At Home506 (6.2%)
  • Other425 (5.2%)
  • Walked203 (2.5%)
  • Public Transit19 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.