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

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Swedish population in South Carolina totals 25,233. Greenville County contains the largest Swedish community with 4,096 residents, followed by Charleston County (2,617), Beaufort County (2,211), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in South Carolina by their Swedish populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Swedish population in South Carolina

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  • 1
    Greenville County
    Swedish population in Greenville County is 4,096
    0.76% of Greenville County population is Swedish
  • 2
    Charleston County
    Swedish population in Charleston County is 2,617
    0.63% of Charleston County population is Swedish
  • 3
    Beaufort County
    Swedish population in Beaufort County is 2,211
    1.15% of Beaufort County population is Swedish
  • 4
    York County
    Swedish population in York County is 2,083
    0.72% of York County population is Swedish
  • 5
    Lexington County
    Swedish population in Lexington County is 1,882
    0.63% of Lexington County population is Swedish

Overview of Swedish population in South Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate South Carolina contains 25,233 Swedish residents (0.48% of 5.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 35th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Swedish population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show South Carolina's Swedish demographic representation of 0.48% remains below the national average of 1%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates South Carolina contains 25,233 Swedish residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Swedish population of 3.4 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 0.84 Swedish Americans per square mile, marginally below the national average of 0.96 per square mile, placing the state near national demographic representation levels.
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46 Counties in South Carolina Ranked by Swedish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Swedish population in South Carolina distributed across multiple counties, led by Greenville County, Charleston County, Beaufort County, and York County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as American of Swedish 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 Swedish population count
Rank by Swedish Population
County
Swedish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total South Carolina Swedish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Greenville County 4,096 0.76% 16.23%
2 Charleston County 2,617 0.63% 10.37%
3 Beaufort County 2,211 1.15% 8.76%
4 York County 2,083 0.72% 8.26%
5 Lexington County 1,882 0.63% 7.46%
6 Horry County 1,877 0.51% 7.44%
7 Spartanburg County 1,249 0.37% 4.95%
8 1,114 0.27% 4.41%
9 1,032 0.43% 4.09%
10 931 0.57% 3.69%
11 854 0.41% 3.38%
12 768 0.45% 3.04%
13 642 0.48% 2.54%
14 516 0.51% 2.04%
15 364 0.57% 1.44%
16 358 0.34% 1.42%
17 327 0.41% 1.30%
18 312 0.46% 1.24%
19 239 0.89% 0.95%
20 194 0.31% 0.77%
21 191 0.28% 0.76%
22 183 0.13% 0.73%
23 159 0.52% 0.63%
24 145 0.17% 0.57%
25 144 0.22% 0.57%
26 104 0.55% 0.41%
27 87 0.29% 0.34%
28 77 0.14% 0.31%
29 70 0.18% 0.28%
30 63 0.20% 0.25%
30 63 0.65% 0.25%
31 59 0.24% 0.23%
32 40 0.24% 0.16%
33 33 0.11% 0.13%
34 30 0.11% 0.12%
34 30 0.16% 0.12%
35 22 0.11% 0.09%
36 17 0.04% 0.07%
37 15 0.05% 0.06%
38 14 0.03% 0.06%
39 13 0.06% 0.05%
40 7 0.09% 0.03%
41 1 0.00% 0.00%
42 0 - -
42 0 - -
42 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 Swedish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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