Post and Courier recently reported that South Carolina could grow to nearly 6.4 million residents by 2042 based on the state’s latest projections . The bulk of this growth is projected to be in 5 S.C. counties.
Five counties could see their populations increase by 49 percent or more from 2024 to 2042.
Horry County tops the list with an expected gain of 216,662 additional residents, which means a 53 percent population increase.
Berkeley, Jasper, Lancaster and Spartanburg counties are expected to see gains between 49 and 51 percent.
The five counties are expected to see more than 80 percent of the statewide population growth. The projected increases in population are: Horry, 216,662; Spartanburg, 179,078; Greenville, 153,555; Berkeley, 130,232; and York, 119,111.
Every county touching the Atlantic Ocean is expected to gain residents. At the north end of the coast and home to Myrtle Beach and Conway, Horry County has been among the nation’s fastest-growing places for many years and would be South Carolina’s fastest-growing county.
The tri-county Charleston metro area is expected to have more than 1 million residents in 2042, with the two inland counties — where there’s more undeveloped land — leading the gains. Berkeley County’s population could account for more than 70 percent of the growth, while the populations of Charleston and Dorchester counties are projected to increase by 8 and 11 percent, respectively.
Down the coast, the ever-growing Hilton Head/Beaufort/Bluffton area in Beaufort and Jasper counties could gain more than 45,000 residents.
South Carolina’s population was the most rapidly growing in the nation in 2023. The state had a slightly negative birth rate, with more deaths than births, so the population increase was entirely due to people moving to the state.
The state’s projections use existing data and trends to look ahead nearly 20 years, and assume growth follows patterns seen today. Of course, those patterns could change.
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Real Estate Matters in Charleston SC - Gena Glaze 