English Population in South Carolina by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the English population in South Carolina totals 589,435. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Greenville County leading at 71,629, followed by Charleston County (58,902) and Horry County (49,191). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in South Carolina by their English population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest English population in South Carolina

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  • 1
    Greenville County
    English population in Greenville County is 71,629
    13.32% of Greenville County population is English
  • 2
    Charleston County
    English population in Charleston County is 58,902
    14.20% of Charleston County population is English
  • 3
    Horry County
    English population in Horry County is 49,191
    13.33% of Horry County population is English
  • 4
    Spartanburg County
    English population in Spartanburg County is 38,243
    11.31% of Spartanburg County population is English
  • 5
    Lexington County
    English population in Lexington County is 36,382
    12.11% of Lexington County population is English

Overview of English population in South Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show South Carolina contains 589,435 English residents (11.3% of 5.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 58th percentile nationally among U.S. states for English population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate South Carolina's English population of 11.3% exceeds the national average of 9.1% by a factor of 1.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document South Carolina's 589,435 English residents constitute 2% of the nation's total English population of 30.1 million, providing the state with a measurable but modest share of the national demographic community.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates South Carolina's density of 19.6 English Americans per square mile exceeds the national average of 8.5 per square mile by more than double, establishing the state as a significant concentration center for English demographic communities.
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46 Counties in South Carolina Ranked by English Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show English populations across every county in South Carolina, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Greenville County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in South Carolina ranked by English population count
Rank by English Population
County
English Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total South Carolina English Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Greenville County 71,629 13.32% 12.15%
2 Charleston County 58,902 14.20% 9.99%
3 Horry County 49,191 13.33% 8.35%
4 Spartanburg County 38,243 11.31% 6.49%
5 Lexington County 36,382 12.11% 6.17%
6 York County 33,745 11.69% 5.73%
7 Richland County 32,716 7.81% 5.55%
8 27,922 13.47% 4.74%
9 23,941 10.03% 4.06%
10 23,622 12.30% 4.01%
11 20,757 15.65% 3.52%
12 20,370 12.40% 3.46%
13 18,610 10.82% 3.16%
14 13,424 9.80% 2.28%
15 13,344 13.22% 2.26%
16 12,394 15.58% 2.10%
17 7,938 12.36% 1.35%
18 7,242 6.91% 1.23%
19 6,902 11.00% 1.17%
20 6,758 9.95% 1.15%
21 6,697 10.01% 1.14%
22 5,649 8.15% 0.96%
23 5,117 9.09% 0.87%
24 4,967 17.72% 0.84%
25 4,964 11.39% 0.84%
26 3,409 8.94% 0.58%
27 3,382 11.70% 0.57%
28 3,108 8.05% 0.53%
29 2,708 3.24% 0.46%
30 2,661 10.12% 0.45%
31 2,603 8.09% 0.44%
32 2,269 8.56% 0.38%
33 2,149 7.01% 0.36%
34 2,114 6.81% 0.36%
35 1,966 10.37% 0.33%
36 1,754 6.50% 0.30%
37 1,466 6.02% 0.25%
38 1,358 4.45% 0.23%
39 1,239 6.68% 0.21%
40 1,153 8.15% 0.20%
41 1,139 5.49% 0.19%
42 1,137 5.53% 0.19%
43 950 9.79% 0.16%
44 848 5.19% 0.14%
45 464 3.52% 0.08%
46 132 1.71% 0.02%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in South Carolina by their English population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines English population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having English ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as English alone, while others identify as English along with another race (such as English and German).
  • We’ve used the “English alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the English population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as English alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as English .
  2. % of Total South Carolina English Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. English population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small English populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported English population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where English populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.