State Income Data - SC
South Carolina
Income & Poverty
2024
2000
1990
| Poverty | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 346,672 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 15.4% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 20.8% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 63.8% |
| People in Poverty: Change over Time | |
| % change: 2000-2024 | 143.0% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 320.3% |
| % Families in Poverty by Family Type | |
| All families (among those for whom poverty status is determined) | 13.1% |
|
With related children under age 18
|
20.5% |
|
With related children under age 5
|
20.5% |
| Married-couple families | 9.3% |
|
With related children under age 18
|
14.0% |
|
With related children under age 5
|
13.4% |
| Families with female householder, no husband present | 31.7% |
|
With related children under age 18
|
40.8% |
|
With related children under age 5
|
38.6% |
| Poverty by U.S. Citizenship Status (among the foreign born) | |
| Naturalized citizens | 155,912 |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
8.2% |
|
100-199% of the poverty level
|
18.1% |
|
At or above 200% of the poverty level
|
73.7% |
| Noncitizens | 190,760 |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
21.3% |
|
100-199% of the poverty level
|
22.9% |
|
At or above 200% of the poverty level
|
55.8% |
| Foreign Born Living in Poverty by Region of Birth | |
| Born in Africa | N |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
N |
| Born in Asia | 83,145 |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
9.4% |
| Born in Europe | 56,150 |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
10.6% |
| Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) | 176,707 |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
20.9% |
| Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) | N |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
N |
| Born in Oceania | N |
|
Below 100% of the poverty level
|
N |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 4,992,251 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 13.1% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 16.6% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 70.3% |
| People in Poverty: Change over Time | |
| % change: 2000-2011 | 24.6% |
| % change: 1990-2000 | 2.1% |
| % Families in Poverty by Family Type | |
| All families (among those for whom poverty status is determined) | 9.2% |
|
With related children under age 18 |
15.5% |
|
With related children under age 5 |
15.6% |
| Married-couple families | 4.2% |
|
With related children under age 18 |
4.9% |
|
With related children under age 5 |
4.6% |
| Families with female householder, no husband present | 24.7% |
|
With related children under age 18 |
36.3% |
|
With related children under age 5 |
43.6% |
|
Foreign Born
|
|
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 115,624 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 19.0% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 21.2% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 59.8% |
|
U.S. Born
|
|
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 3,775,428 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 13.9% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 19.1% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 67.1% |
|
Foreign Born
|
|
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 45,852 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 11.4% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 17.6% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 71.0% |
|
U.S. Born
|
|
|---|---|
| Population (for whom poverty status is determined) (%) | 3,315,579 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 15.5% |
| 100-199% of the poverty level | 21.5% |
| At or above 200% of the poverty level | 62.9% |
Population (age 5 and older)
| Poverty by Language Spoken at Home | Number |
|---|---|
| Household population (among those for whom poverty status is determined, age 5 and older) | 5,051,661 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 653,160 |
Speaks only English |
4,594,668 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 570,814 |
Speaks Spanish |
275,080 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 59,919 |
Speaks other Indo-European languages |
104,893 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 14,291 |
Speaks Asian or Pacific Island languages |
55,770 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 5,916 |
Speaks other languages |
21,250 |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 2,220 |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Household population (among those for whom poverty status is determined, age 5 and older) | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 12.9% |
| Speaks only English | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 12.4% |
| Speaks only Spanish | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 21.8% |
| Speaks other Indo-European languages | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 13.6% |
| Speaks Asian or Pacific Island languages | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 10.6% |
| Speaks other languages | 100% |
| Below 100% of the poverty level | 10.4% |
| Earnings | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (age 16 and older). Earnings in the Current Year Inflation-Adjusted Dollars (%) | 155,667 |
| Earned $1-$9,999, or incurred a loss | 2.1% |
| Earned $10,000-$14,999 | 2.1% |
| Earned $15,000-$24,999 | 9.8% |
| Earned $25,000-$34,999 | 14.6% |
| Earned $35,000-$49,999 | 19.7% |
| Earned $50,000-$74,999 | 21.4% |
| Earned $75,000 or more | 30.2% |
| Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (age 16 and older) Earnings in the Current Year Inflation-Adjusted Dollars (%) by U.S. Citizenship | |
| Naturalized citizens (%) | 71,515 |
|
Earned $1-$9,999, or incurred a loss
|
1.0% |
|
Earned $10,000-$14,999
|
1.4% |
|
Earned $15,000-$24,999
|
5.9% |
|
Earned $25,000-$34,999
|
12.0% |
|
Earned $35,000-$49,999
|
16.6% |
|
Earned $50,000-$74,999
|
23.2% |
|
Earned $75,000 or more
|
39.8% |
| Noncitizens (%) | 84,152 |
|
Earned $1-$9,999, or incurred a loss
|
3.0% |
|
Earned $10,000-$14,999
|
2.6% |
|
Earned $15,000-$24,999
|
13.2% |
|
Earned $25,000-$34,999
|
16.8% |
|
Earned $35,000-$49,999
|
22.4% |
|
Earned $50,000-$74,999
|
19.9% |
|
Earned $75,000 or more
|
22.1% |
| Median Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (age 16 and older) in the Current Year Inflation-Adjusted Dollars by Gender | Foreign Born |
| Male | $51,668 |
| Female | $48,550 |
| Median Earnings of Foreign-Born Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (age 16 and older) in the Current Year Inflation-Adjusted Dollars by U.S. Citizenship Status and Gender | |
| Naturalized citizens | |
|
Male
|
$69,621 |
|
Female
|
$51,243 |
| Noncitizens | |
|
Male
|
$41,968 |
|
Female
|
$43,878 |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (age 16 and older) in the Current Year Inflation-Adjusted Dollars (%) | 1,795,101 |
| Earned $1-$9,999, or incurred a loss | 1.8% |
| Earned $10,000-$14,999 | 1.7% |
| Earned $15,000-$24,999 | 6.6% |
| Earned $25,000-$34,999 | 11.6% |
| Earned $35,000-$49,999 | 20.2% |
| Earned $50,000-$74,999 | 27.0% |
| Earned $75,000 or more | 31.1% |
| Nothing 1 | |
| Nothing 2 | |
| Nothing 3 | |
| Nothing 4 | |
| Nothing 5 | |
| Nothing 6 | |
| Nothing 7 | |
| Nothing 8 | |
| Nothing 9 | |
| Nothing 10 | |
| Nothing 11 | |
| Nothing 12 | |
| Nothing 13 | |
| Nothing 14 | |
| Nothing 15 | |
| Nothing 16 | |
| Nothing 17 | |
| Native Born | Native Born |
| Male | $61,412 |
| Female | $50,356 |
| Median Household Income | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $73,377 |
| Median Household Income by U.S. Citizenship Status | |
| Naturalized citizens | $82,156 |
| Noncitizens | $60,175 |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $72,301 |
| Home Ownership Rate | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Home Ownership Rate | 61.7% |
| Home Ownership Rate by Householder's U.S. Citizenship Status | |
| Naturalized citizens | 81.6% |
| Noncitizens | 39.1% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Home Ownership Rate | 73.1% |
| Health Insurance Coverage | Foreign Born |
|---|---|
| Civilian noninstitutionalized population (%) | 347,837 |
| With health insurance | 71.9% |
|
With private health insurance
|
57.2% |
|
With public coverage
|
22.9% |
| No health insurance coverage | 28.1% |
| Health Insurance Coverage by U.S. Citizenship Status | |
| Naturalized Citizens (%) | 155,714 |
| With health insurance | 89.8% |
|
With private health insurance
|
68.4% |
|
With public coverage
|
35.9% |
| No health insurance coverage | 10.2% |
| Noncitizens (%) | 192,123 |
| With health insurance | 57.5% |
|
With private health insurance
|
48.1% |
|
With public coverage
|
12.5% |
| No health insurance coverage | 42.5% |
| U.S. Born | |
|---|---|
| Civilian noninstitutionalized population (%) | 5,032,144 |
| With health insurance | 92.4% |
|
With private health insurance
|
68.1% |
|
With public coverage
|
39.3% |
| No health insurance coverage | 7.6% |
Sources: Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2024 data are from the one-year ACS file. For information about ACS definitions, click here. For ACS methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here. Estimates from 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census data as well as ACS microdata are from Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Grace Cooper, Julia A. Rivera Drew, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rodgers, Jonathan Schroeder, and Kari C.W. Williams. IPUMS USA: Version 16.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V16.0.
Definitions
- The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.
- The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.
- Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under the age of 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing.
- The term “home ownership rate” refers to the percentage owner households represent among all occupied households.
Data-related notes
- The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.
- “Poverty,” “Earnings,” “Median Household Income,” and “Home Ownership Rate”: Data for Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2024 ACS.
- “% Families in Poverty by Family Type” section: “Related children” refer to “related children of the householder.”
- “Health Insurance Coverage”: Private coverage includes employer- or union-provided insurance, insurance purchased directly, and TRICARE (the health program of the U.S. military) or other military health care. Public coverage includes Medicare, Medicaid, or another governmental medical assistance program, and Veterans Administration health care. Individuals can be covered by more than one type of insurance, and they can be covered by both private and public insurers. Since some people may hold both private and public health insurance coverage at the same time, estimates of those with private health insurance and those with public coverage may overlap. Their sum therefore may be greater than the total number of people with health insurance.