German Population in South Carolina by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in South Carolina totals 482,639, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Charleston (17,824), followed by Mount Pleasant (13,771) and Columbia (12,453), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how German residents are distributed across South Carolina''s urban and rural landscape.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in South Carolina

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  • 1
    Charleston
    German population in Charleston is 17,824
    11.73% of Charleston population is German
  • 2
    Mount Pleasant
    German population in Mount Pleasant is 13,771
    14.86% of Mount Pleasant population is German
  • 3
    Columbia
    German population in Columbia is 12,453
    9.02% of Columbia population is German
  • 4
    Greenville
    German population in Greenville is 8,813
    12.28% of Greenville population is German
  • 5
    North Charleston
    German population in North Charleston is 7,539
    6.42% of North Charleston population is German

Overview of German population in South Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents South Carolina with 482,639 German residents (9.3% of 5.2 million total state population), ranking the state at the 43rd percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for German demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show South Carolina's German demographic representation of 9.3% remains below the national average of 12.6%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey document South Carolina's 482,639 German residents constitute 1.2% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 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 show South Carolina maintains 16.1 German Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 11.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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186 Cities in South Carolina Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German population in South Carolina present in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Columbia, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in South Carolina ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total South Carolina German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Charleston 17,824 11.73% 3.69%
2 Mount Pleasant 13,771 14.86% 2.85%
3 Columbia 12,453 9.02% 2.58%
4 Greenville 8,813 12.28% 1.83%
5 North Charleston 7,539 6.42% 1.56%
6 Hilton Head Island 6,493 17.18% 1.35%
7 Summerville 5,681 11.08% 1.18%
8 5,468 19.33% 1.13%
9 5,451 7.29% 1.13%
10 4,643 9.89% 0.96%
11 4,136 13.20% 0.86%
12 4,086 10.98% 0.85%
13 3,590 11.10% 0.74%
14 3,048 7.78% 0.63%
15 3,040 14.39% 0.63%
16 2,806 10.80% 0.58%
17 2,800 11.69% 0.58%
18 2,718 11.26% 0.56%
19 2,555 5.93% 0.53%
20 2,499 10.02% 0.52%
21 2,466 12.75% 0.51%
22 2,360 5.87% 0.49%
23 2,303 5.97% 0.48%
24 2,298 8.81% 0.48%
25 2,249 12.69% 0.47%
26 2,163 8.61% 0.45%
27 2,109 15.90% 0.44%
28 2,063 11.62% 0.43%
29 1,992 16.88% 0.41%
30 1,701 5.75% 0.35%
31 1,575 11.48% 0.33%
32 1,486 14.16% 0.31%
33 1,433 9.52% 0.30%
34 1,391 14.97% 0.29%
35 1,344 9.84% 0.28%
36 1,228 13.78% 0.25%
37 1,185 5.26% 0.25%
38 1,115 7.76% 0.23%
39 1,040 9.20% 0.22%
40 966 11.87% 0.20%
41 894 8.33% 0.19%
42 889 20.18% 0.18%
43 834 11.89% 0.17%
44 710 13.32% 0.15%
45 676 15.59% 0.14%
46 663 8.26% 0.14%
47 601 6.88% 0.12%
48 584 13.99% 0.12%
49 580 13.75% 0.12%
50 523 12.02% 0.11%
51 520 5.98% 0.11%
52 514 14.51% 0.11%
53 475 6.40% 0.10%
54 459 3.64% 0.10%
54 459 8.36% 0.10%
55 451 13.14% 0.09%
56 430 5.64% 0.09%
57 402 6.36% 0.08%
58 394 17.94% 0.08%
59 381 12.33% 0.08%
60 377 4.05% 0.08%
61 367 13.46% 0.08%
62 358 7.25% 0.07%
62 358 4.45% 0.07%
63 355 18.51% 0.07%
64 347 9.03% 0.07%
65 338 6.38% 0.07%
66 329 15.61% 0.07%
67 300 11.07% 0.06%
68 288 13.54% 0.06%
69 246 12.71% 0.05%
70 242 9.44% 0.05%
71 239 2.81% 0.05%
72 238 4.48% 0.05%
73 223 10.31% 0.05%
74 220 6.59% 0.05%
75 215 9.96% 0.04%
75 215 22.44% 0.04%
76 213 15.11% 0.04%
76 213 8.29% 0.04%
77 205 7.87% 0.04%
77 205 6.05% 0.04%
78 201 10.28% 0.04%
79 198 4.80% 0.04%
80 196 1.49% 0.04%
81 195 6.30% 0.04%
82 192 8.56% 0.04%
83 186 6.03% 0.04%
84 179 15.11% 0.04%
85 178 8.18% 0.04%
86 171 8.44% 0.04%
87 169 3.36% 0.04%
88 166 3.41% 0.03%
89 165 6.66% 0.03%
90 162 2.38% 0.03%
91 161 3.91% 0.03%
92 158 3.42% 0.03%
93 155 15.70% 0.03%
94 149 11.70% 0.03%
95 138 18.80% 0.03%
96 135 11.70% 0.03%
97 132 5.09% 0.03%
98 131 3.49% 0.03%
99 129 2.46% 0.03%
100 128 15.18% 0.03%
100 128 2.09% 0.03%
100 128 12.80% 0.03%
100 128 15.27% 0.03%
101 120 6.73% 0.02%
102 118 11.99% 0.02%
103 113 5.55% 0.02%
104 111 7.60% 0.02%
105 107 6.80% 0.02%
106 106 4.14% 0.02%
106 106 13.54% 0.02%
107 103 6.56% 0.02%
108 102 8.51% 0.02%
109 101 8.14% 0.02%
110 99 1.64% 0.02%
111 98 2.46% 0.02%
112 96 3.81% 0.02%
113 93 4.21% 0.02%
113 93 2.79% 0.02%
114 91 8.45% 0.02%
115 90 3.34% 0.02%
116 85 1.34% 0.02%
116 85 3.49% 0.02%
117 82 9.23% 0.02%
117 82 3.06% 0.02%
118 81 3.65% 0.02%
119 78 3.84% 0.02%
119 78 5.39% 0.02%
120 77 4.74% 0.02%
121 68 7.86% 0.01%
122 66 2.23% 0.01%
123 63 7.84% 0.01%
123 63 11.19% 0.01%
123 63 9.00% 0.01%
124 62 6.62% 0.01%
124 62 4.77% 0.01%
125 60 4.70% 0.01%
126 58 4.96% 0.01%
126 58 2.20% 0.01%
127 54 7.62% 0.01%
128 53 1.69% 0.01%
128 53 2.16% 0.01%
129 51 1.77% 0.01%
130 50 4.98% 0.01%
130 50 4.37% 0.01%
130 50 1.34% 0.01%
130 50 7.11% 0.01%
131 49 7.50% 0.01%
132 48 5.66% 0.01%
133 46 4.44% 0.01%
134 44 3.84% 0.01%
135 39 3.84% 0.01%
136 38 2.54% 0.01%
136 38 2.18% 0.01%
137 37 4.43% 0.01%
138 36 0.91% 0.01%
139 34 2.40% 0.01%
140 32 4.25% 0.01%
141 29 0.45% 0.01%
142 28 3.39% 0.01%
142 28 1.76% 0.01%
142 28 2.37% 0.01%
143 24 3.28% 0.01%
144 23 2.92% 0.00%
145 21 0.98% 0.00%
145 21 1.79% 0.00%
146 18 0.57% 0.00%
147 13 0.69% 0.00%
148 12 0.40% 0.00%
148 12 1.71% 0.00%
149 11 1.94% 0.00%
150 9 0.51% 0.00%
150 9 1.12% 0.00%
151 8 1.35% 0.00%
152 6 0.90% 0.00%
152 6 0.26% 0.00%
153 5 0.50% 0.00%
154 2 0.21% 0.00%
154 2 0.24% 0.00%
155 0 - -
155 0 - -
155 0 - -
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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 city in South Carolina by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German 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 German 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 German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total South Carolina German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German 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 German 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported German 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 German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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