Newberry County, South Carolina

Newberry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 37,719. The name is of unknown origin, although one theory suggests that it was named by Quaker settlers in honor of their home of Newberry, a suburb of London in the United Kingdom.

National protected area

Belfast Wildlife Management Area (part)
Sumter National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

Belfast Wildlife Management Area
Broad River Scenic Area
Dreher Island State Park
Rocky Branch Natural Area

Major water bodies

Broad River
Bush River
Camping Creek
Cannon's Creek
Enoree River
Lake Murray
Parr Shoals Reservoir
Saluda River

Adjacent counties

Union County – north
Fairfield County – east
Lexington County – southeast
Richland County – southeast
Saluda County – south
Greenwood County – southwest
Laurens County – northwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Newberry County Water & Sewer Authority
Newberry Electric Cooperative
Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Newberry 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)

|21,194

|21,426

|22,270

|22,690

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,635

|67.84%

|64.59%

|61.68%

|60.49%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |60.01%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|9,789

|11,470

|11,893

|11,533

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,360

|31.33%

|34.58%

|32.94%

|30.75%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |27.47%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|18

|40

|73

|99

|style='background: #ffffe6; |107

|0.06%

|0.12%

|0.20%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%

|Asian alone (NH)

|43

|79

|92

|116

|style='background: #ffffe6; |135

|0.14%

|0.24%

|0.25%

|0.31%

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

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|19

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.05%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|11

|10

|32

|36

|style='background: #ffffe6; |72

|0.04%

|0.03%

|0.09%

|0.10%

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

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|196

|334

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,101

|0.54%

|0.89%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.92%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|187

|147

|1,533

|2,690

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,305

|0.60%

|0.44%

|4.25%

|7.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.76%

|Total

|31,242

|33,172

|36,108

|37,508

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37,719

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 37,719 people, 15,039 households, and 9,705 families residing in the county.

32.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 15,039 households in the county, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 17,922 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.1% white, 31.0% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.2% of the population.

Of the 14,709 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.1% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 39.9 years.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 36,108 people, 14,026 households and 9,804 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 16,805 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 64.02 percent White, 33.12 percent Black or African American, 0.28 percent Native American, 0.29 percent Asian, 0.09 percent Pacific Islander, 1.30 percent from other races, and 0.90 percent from two or more races. Some 4.25 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,026 households, out of which 30.4 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2 percent were married couples living together, 16.1 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1 percent were non-families. 26.5 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 12 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1 percent under the age of 18, 9.8 percent from 18 to 24, 27.6 percent from 25 to 44, 23.7 percent from 45 to 64, and 14.7 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,867, and the median income for a family was $40,580. Males had a median income of $29,871 versus $21,274 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,045. About 13.6 percent of families and 17 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8 percent of those under age 18 and 16 percent of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Newberry County has served as a reliable bellwether for South Carolina through the 20th century, having voted for the statewide presidential winner in 17 straight elections since 1956. In the 21st Century, the county has become reliably Republican. The 2024 election, in which the county shifted to the right by over 5 points, displayed the strongest Republican support in the county since Nixon's 1972 landslide.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $1.8 billion (about $45,435 per capita), and the real GDP was $1.5 billion (about $37,540 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.

, some of the largest employers in the county include Caterpillar Inc., Georgia-Pacific, Komatsu Limited, Kraft Foods, Newberry College, Samsung Electronics, Valmont Industries, and Walmart.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Newberry County, South Carolina - Q3 2023

Communities

Cities

Newberry (county seat and largest community)

Towns

Little Mountain
Peak
Pomaria
Prosperity
Silverstreet
Whitmire