Here’s how fast populations are growing by race in SC, Census data shows
South Carolina has grown more diverse in recent years, the latest Census data shows.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in the state has grown the most in the past year — up 56,180 people or 16.3% from 2022 to 2023, the latest data available. The Hispanic population has increased by 105,461 people or 35.8% between 2018 and 2023.
That’s in line with much of the rest of the U.S.
The Hispanic population accounted for just under 71% of the overall growth of the nation’s population, driven primarily by Hispanic births, between 2022 and 2023, Census data shows. Hispanics of any race grew to just over 65 million, an increase of 1.16 million or 1.8% from the prior year.
““The annual increase of 1.8% was in sharp contrast to the 0.2% increase in the non-Hispanic population, whose growth was tempered by a decline among non-Hispanic Whites, the largest demographic within the non-Hispanic category and the only one to experience a population loss,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, said in a press release.
South Carolina has bucked the national trend as far as its White population is concerned.
The White population in South Carolina was up 1.6% or 54,695 people, in 2023 over 2022. And the White population has grown by 185,492 people between 2018 and 2023.
Also of note is the two or more races category, which has had a whopping 209% increase in population in South Carolina for a total of 374,648 people between 2018 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the state’s black population has slowly dropped the last five years — down 1.1% between 2022 and 2023 and down 2.5% since 2018.
Below is a breakdown of population in the state by race in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
2023
| Race | Total pop. | % change from 2022 | % change from 2018 |
| White | 5,373,555 | 1.72% | 5.7% |
| Black | 1,311,022 | -1.1% | -2.5% |
Asian | 94,551 | 4.4% | 17.2% |
Two or more races | 374,648 | 11.1% | 209% |
Hispanic | 399,963 | 16.3% | 35.8% |
SC total population | 5,373,555 | 1.72% | 5.7% |
2022
| Race | Total pop. |
| White | 3,361,662 |
Black | 1,325,020 |
Asian | 90,557 |
Two or more races | 337,109 |
Hispanic | 343,783 |
SC total population | 5,282,634 |
2018
| Race | Total pop. |
| White | 3,229,793 |
| Black | 1,345,077 |
Asian | 80,693 |
Two or more races | 121,197 |
Hispanic | 294,502 |
SC total population | 5,084,127 |
