This population of people is growing faster in SC than rest of US, new Census data shows

South Carolina has become an increasingly popular place for White people, new Census data shows.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau , South Carolina had the fastest-growing White population in the nation in 2023, year-over-year. This latest data follows a trend of overall faster population growth for the Palmetto State compared to most of the country in recent years.

The White population in the U.S. was 195,432,584 in 2023, representing a loss of 0.2%, the Census data shows. The Hispanic population accounted for just under 71% of the overall growth in the U.S. population — an increase of 1.16 million between 2022 and 2023.

“The Hispanic population is expanding at a substantially faster rate than the non-Hispanic population, primarily due to natural increase, that is, more births than deaths,” Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, said in a press release.

The non-Hispanic white population still had the largest share of the nation’s total population at 58% in 2023. With nearly 630,000 more deaths than births, natural decrease was the main contributor to the non-Hispanic White population decline.

SC white population changes

• The White population in South Carolina was up 1.6% or 54,695 people, in 2023.
• Horry County had the largest increase in the White population in the state at 3.8% or 11,107 people between 2022 and 2023.
• Among counties with White populations above 10,000, Jasper County, at 8.2%, had the fastest-growing White population between 2022 and 2023.

SC overall population growth

South Carolina’s growth in its White population can mostly be attributed to its relatively rapid total population gains in recent years as more people moved into the state.

South Carolina ranked as the fastest-growing state in 2023, previous U.S. Census data shows. The state’s population grew by 1.7% to a total of 5,373,555. South Carolina was followed closely behind by Florida and Texas, both at 1.6% population growth. The state ranked third fastest-growing in 2022 with a 1.7% increase in population, a gain of 89,368 people.

Other Census demographics highlights

• South Carolina had the fastest-growing Two or More Races population, which increased 4.5% or 4,592 residents.
• California had the largest White population in the U.S. in 2023 at 13,361,684, followed by Texas at 12,088,544 and Florida at 11,742,859.
• The metro area with the largest-gaining White population between 2022 and 2023 was Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN, which added 16,858 people for a total of 1,463,208.
• Among states, California (15,760,437), Texas (12,135,690), Florida (6,197,465) and New York (3,873,130) had the largest Hispanic populations.
• The Black population of the U.S. totaled 42,313,088, up 0.6% year-over-year.
• Texas had the largest Black population (3,872,036) of all states in 2023, as well as the largest-gaining Black population, increasing by 90,976 (2.4%) from 2022 to 2023. Georgia has the nation’s second largest Black population (3,543,000). Maine had the fastest-growing Black population, which jumped 7.7% (2,020) from 2022 to approximately 28,000 in 2023.