Beaufort County, South Carolina

Beaufort County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 187,117.

Beaufort County is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metropolitan statistical area. It is one of the South's fastest-growing counties, primarily because of development south of the Broad River clustered along the U.S. Highway 278 corridor. The county's northern portions also have grown steadily, due in part to the strong federal military presence around the city of Beaufort. The county's two portions are connected by the Broad River Bridge, which carries South Carolina Highway 170. Beaufort County has been identified as the most at-risk county in the contiguous United States for combined damage from climate change in the medium term, largely due to high wet-bulb temperatures, economic and farm crop damages, and sea-level rise.

History

From the early days of plantations, African slaves outnumbered the European minority in the colony. The plantations on the Sea Islands had large concentrations of slaves who had infrequent and limited interaction with white people. The islands were sites of the development of the Gullah culture, which preserved elements from a variety of West African roots; the people also developed the Gullah language, a creole language. The county was majority black until around the mid-20th century.

Union troops took control of Beaufort County and occupied the area beginning in 1861. Many slaves escaped and went to Union lines. In some cases, planters had moved inland for refuge, leaving their slaves on the Sea Islands. Slaves began to organize schools and other parts of their communities early in the war in this county, especially on the islands. The Army founded Mitchellville on Hilton Head by March 1863 as a village where black people could practice self-governance; by 1865, it had 1,500 residents. After the war, the Drayton family reclaimed this land for their own private use. In some cases, the Union Army allocated plots for blacks for housing and cultivating crops.

When freedmen were granted citizenship and the franchise after the American Civil War by constitutional amendments, most joined the Republican Party. Although not the only majority black state, South Carolina was the only Southern state during Reconstruction to elect a black majority of representatives to the state legislature.

National protected areas

Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (part)
Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park

State and local protected areas/sites

Auldbrass Plantation
Altamaha Towne Heritage Preserve
Bay Point Shoal Seabird Sanctuary

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

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Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Beaufort County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|41,645

|58,842

|81,477

|107,279

|style='background: #ffffe6; |126,704

|63.71%

|68.08%

|67.37%

|66.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67.71%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|21,191

|24,415

|28,654

|30,662

|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,545

|32.42%

|28.25%

|23.69%

|18.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.72%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|129

|233

|288

|338

|style='background: #ffffe6; |354

|0.20%

|0.27%

|0.24%

|0.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%

|Asian alone (NH)

|444

|731

|938

|1,822

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,381

|0.68%

|0.85%

|0.78%

|1.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.27%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|50

|78

|style='background: #ffffe6; |119

|0.04%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%

|Other race alone (NH)

|66

|36

|84

|217

|style='background: #ffffe6; |675

|0.10%

|0.04%

|0.07%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.36%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|1,238

|2,270

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,928

|1.02%

|1.40%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.17%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|1,889

|2,168

|8,208

|19,567

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,411

|2.89%

|2.51%

|6.79%

|12.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12.51%

|Total

|65,364

|86,425

|120,937

|162,233

|style='background: #ffffe6; |187,117

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, 187,117 people, 76,373 households, and 50,500 families were residing in the county. The median age was 47.3 years; 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.

Of the 76,373 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

81.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 98,068 housing units, of which 22.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.7% were owner-occupied and 25.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.3%. The population density was . There were 93,023 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 71.9% white, 19.3% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.1% of the population.

Of the 64,945 households, 28.5% had children under 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.2% were not families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 40.6 years.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, 120,937 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families lived in the county. The population density was . The 60,509 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 70.66% white, 23.98% black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.84% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. About 6.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 45,532 households, 30.4% had children under 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were not families. Around 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the age distribution was 23.3% under 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,992, and for a family was $52,704. Males had a median income of $30,541 versus $25,284 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,377. About 8.00% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Beaufort County is governed under the council-administrator form of government. Beaufort County Council is an elected body responsible for passing ordinances, setting county policies, and developing an annual budget for the administration of public services to citizens. The chairman is elected to a two-year term by council at the first meeting in January following a general election. The vice chairman is charged with carrying out the duties of the chairman in his or her absence. Council members serve four-year staggered terms. Each council member represents one of 11 districts within the county.

{| class="wikitable"

!colspan="2"| Beaufort County Council (as of 2024)

! District

! Council member

| District 1

| Gerald Dawson

| District 2

| David Bartholomew

| District 3

| York Glover

| District 4

| Alice Howard

| District 5

| Joe Passiment (chairman)

| District 6

| Anna Maria "Tab" Tabernik

| District 7

| Logan Cunningham

| District 8

| Paula Brown

| District 9

| Mark Lawson

| District 10

| Larry McElynn (vice chairman)

| District 11

| Thomas Reitz

Politics

Beaufort County leans Republican and has voted for that party's presidential nominee in every election since 1980. Even in the first half of the 20th century, Beaufort was routinely one of the counties in South Carolina that gave the Republicans the highest percentage of the vote. In 1920, for example, Republican nominee Warren G. Harding won only 4% of the total vote in South Carolina, but 36% in Beaufort County.

Economy

In 2022, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Beaufort County was $10.8 billion (about $57,827 per capita). In chained 2017 dollars, the real GDP was $9.2 billion (around $48,930 per capita). From 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2.2 and 3.7%.

, some of the largest employers in the county included the Beaufort County School District, Food Lion, Kroger, Marriott, Publix, the United States Department of Defense, and Walmart.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Beaufort County, South Carolina the Department of Defense Education Activity has two schools covering elementary and middle school for the base. High-school students on the base go to the county school district.

Cities

Beaufort (county seat)

Towns

Bluffton
Hilton Head Island (largest community)
Port Royal
Yemassee (partly in Hampton County)
Hardeeville (mostly in Jasper County)

Census-designated places

Burton
Dale
Daufuskie Island
Fripp Island
Harbor Island
Laurel Bay
Lobeco
Seabrook
Sheldon
Shell Point

Unincorporated communities

Brighton Beach
Frogmore
Lady's Island
Parris Island
Pocotaligo
Pritchardville
Sun City

Named islands

Some islands are also towns.

Barataria Island
Bull Island
Callawassie Island
Cane Island
Coosaw Island
Dataw Island
Daufuskie Island
Fripp Island
Grays Hill
Harbor Island
Hilton Head Island
Hunting Island
Lady's Island
Lemon Island
Little Capers Island (uninhabited)
Morgan Island
Parris Island
Poppy Hill
Port Royal Island
Pritchard Island (uninhabited research station)
Saint Helena Island
Spring Island
St. Phillips Island
Warsaw Island

Notable people

Pat Conroy, author
Clarence Cummings, weightlifter
Joe Frazier, boxer
Candice Glover, American Idol season-12 winner
Bob Inglis, politician
Greg Jones, football player
Thomas E. Miller, educator, lawyer, politician, son of Declaration signer Thomas E. Heyward, Jr.
James Saxon, football player
Duncan Sheik, musician
Wayne Simmons, football player
Robert Smalls, politician
Stan Smith, tennis player
Devin Taylor, football player
D.J. Trahan, golfer
Kathryn R. Wall, author

References

External links

Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce
Beaufort County history and images
The Beaufort Gazette, daily newspaper circulating primarily "north of the Broad"
The Island Packet, daily newspaper circulating primarily "south of the Broad"