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

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Indian population in South Carolina totals 31,025. Greenville County contains the largest Indian community with 5,268 residents, followed by York County (4,638), Richland County (4,476), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in South Carolina by their Indian populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Indian population in South Carolina

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  • 1
    Greenville County
    Indian population in Greenville County is 5,268
    0.98% of Greenville County population is Indian
  • 2
    York County
    Indian population in York County is 4,638
    1.61% of York County population is Indian
  • 3
    Richland County
    Indian population in Richland County is 4,476
    1.07% of Richland County population is Indian
  • 4
    Lexington County
    Indian population in Lexington County is 3,439
    1.14% of Lexington County population is Indian
  • 5
    Spartanburg County
    Indian population in Spartanburg County is 2,772
    0.82% of Spartanburg County population is Indian

Overview of Indian population in South Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate South Carolina contains 31,025 Indian residents (0.6% of 5.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 52nd percentile nationally among U.S. states for Indian population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show South Carolina's Indian demographic representation of 0.6% remains below the national average of 1.5%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates South Carolina contains 31,025 Indian residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Indian population of 4.9 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates South Carolina maintains 1 Indian Americans per square mile, marginally below the national average of 1.4 per square mile, placing the state near national demographic representation levels.
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46 Counties in South Carolina Ranked by Indian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Indian population in South Carolina distributed across multiple counties, led by Greenville County, York County, Richland County, and Lexington County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Indian birth or descent. 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 Indian population count
Rank by Indian Population
County
Indian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total South Carolina Indian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Greenville County 5,268 0.98% 16.98%
2 York County 4,638 1.61% 14.95%
3 Richland County 4,476 1.07% 14.43%
4 Lexington County 3,439 1.14% 11.08%
5 Spartanburg County 2,772 0.82% 8.93%
6 Charleston County 2,103 0.51% 6.78%
7 Lancaster County 1,608 1.59% 5.18%
8 998 0.27% 3.22%
9 928 0.45% 2.99%
10 843 0.64% 2.72%
11 703 0.51% 2.27%
12 544 0.23% 1.75%
13 498 0.29% 1.61%
14 340 0.43% 1.10%
15 298 0.16% 0.96%
16 291 0.35% 0.94%
17 260 0.16% 0.84%
18 189 0.18% 0.61%
19 134 0.65% 0.43%
20 112 0.16% 0.36%
21 101 0.15% 0.33%
22 85 0.15% 0.27%
23 72 0.19% 0.23%
24 48 0.15% 0.15%
25 47 0.19% 0.15%
26 45 0.15% 0.15%
27 42 0.16% 0.14%
28 38 0.09% 0.12%
28 38 0.18% 0.12%
29 33 0.05% 0.11%
30 10 0.05% 0.03%
31 6 0.04% 0.02%
31 6 0.02% 0.02%
32 5 0.02% 0.02%
33 4 0.02% 0.01%
34 2 0.02% 0.01%
35 1 0.01% 0.00%
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 0 - -
36 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 county in South Carolina by their Indian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Indian 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 Indian .
  2. % of Total South Carolina Indian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Indian 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 Indian 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 Indian 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 Indian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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