European ancestry in South Carolina

Non-Hispanic Whites account for nearly 62% of South Carolina’s population. German, English, and Irish Americans have made up three of the largest European ancestry groups in South Carolina. As per the Census report, German Americans made up 8.3% of the population and numbered 427,444 members.

English Americans made up 7.9% of the population and numbered 408,864. Irish Americans made up 7.8% of the population and numbered 403,588 followed by Italian ancestry at 2.9% of the population and number 149,761.

For other European ancestry percentages please refer table above.

African Americans in South Carolina

The largest minority group in South Carolina are Blacks and African Americans, who include about one-fourth of the population. As of 2020, those of African ancestry accounted for 25% of South Carolina’s population. In 1900, South Carolina’s African American population was approximately 58%, a majority. By 1970, the population decreased to 30%. African Americans emigrated from the state to escape Jim Crow laws, and racial violence, and to find higher-paying jobs

A substantial proportion of South Carolina’s African American population resides in the metropolitan areas of Columbia, Charleston, and Rock Hill. Counties with a high percentage of the Black population are  Allendale, Williamsburg County, Bamberg County, Lee County, and Orangeburg County. Additionally, there are numerous Black residents living in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas across the state.

Hispanics and Latinos in South Carolina

Hispanics and Latinos are the third-largest groups in South Carolina. Around 6.89% of South Carolina’s Population claims Hispanic or Latin American ethnicity. The largest Latino communities in South Carolina (in order of size) are found in Greenville, Beaufort, Spartanburg, Richland, Charleston, and Horry Counties.

The majority (over 6o%) of South Carolina’s Latino immigrants were of Mexican origin, followed by  Puerto Rican, Central American, South American, and other Caribbean origins. Of Central Americans, most are of Honduran and Guatemalan origin. Of South Americans, the majority are of Colombian origin, followed by those of Peruvian and Venezuelan origin.

Asian Americans in South Carolina

Asian Americans are a minority group in South Carolina. Americans of Asian descent formed 1.75% of the population. Its ethnic Asian population has grown rapidly since the late 1990s; the majority are Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Korean.

About 73.9% of Indians resided in Greenville, Richland, Lexington, York, Spartanburg, and Charleston Counties.  only 54% of the Chinese population resided in the same counties! The Chinese population was much more dispersed. Around 63.5% of Filipinos resided in six counties, with a majority (35.5%) living in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties. Of Koreans, around 37.2% reside in Richland or Lexington Counties. Around 70.6% of Vietnamese, resided in six counties, with Greenville, Richland, and Horry Counties accounting for 49% of the tota

Multi-Race in South Carolina

Multiracial individuals are also a visible minority in South Carolina. People identifying as multiracial form 3.7% of the population, and number around 189,580 people. 

also read about Multi-racial in the United States