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Seneca, SC

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

8,993
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

39.6
years ∙ half population younger than 39.6, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
43.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.6%
foreign-born population
97.4%Native
2.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Seneca is a city within Oconee County, South Carolina, United States.
Location
City in Oconee County, SC, US
Co-ordinates
DEC34.681059° N, 82.965604° W
DMS34° 40′ 51.81″ N, 82° 57′ 56.17″ W

Population Density & area

1,074/sq mi (415/km²)
Total Area
8.42 sq mi (21.81 km²)
Land Area
8.37 sq mi (21.67 km²) · 99.36%
Water Area
0.05 sq mi (0.14 km²) · 0.64%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

44.9% male
Male 44.9%
Female 55.1%
males per 100 females
Seneca 81.5
Oconee County 97.9
South Carolina 94.8

Nativity

2.6%
foreign-born population
97.4%Native
2.6% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Seneca 2.6%
Oconee County 4.2%
South Carolina 5.8%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

39.6
years ∙ half population younger than 39.6, half older
Seneca
39.6
Oconee County
47.3
South Carolina
40.2

Dependency ratio

Low High
63.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Seneca 63.7
Oconee County 78.5
South Carolina 67.5

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 18.5% 19.1% 21.4%
Working age (18-64) 61.1% 56% 59.7%
Senior (65+) 20.4% 24.9% 18.9%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 63.7 78.5 67.5
Child dependency ratio 30.3 34.1 35.9
Old-age dependency ratio 33.4 44.4 31.6
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
72.8%
Black
17.4%
Asian
0.8%
Hispanic
6.4%
Other
2.6%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
43.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Seneca 43.5%
Oconee County 30.1%
South Carolina 54.9%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Seneca population
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Hispanic or Latino 6.4% 6.2% 7.4%
Mexican 2.7% 3.9% 3.4%
Puerto Rican 1.5% 0.4% 1%
Cuban 0% 0.1% 0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino 2.2% 1.8% 2.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 93.6% 93.8% 92.6%
One race 91.8% 89.7% 88.9%
White 72.8% 83.1% 61.9%
Black or African American 17.4% 5.2% 24.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8% 0.4% 0.2%
Asian 0.8% 0.7% 1.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.2% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 1.8% 4.1% 3.7%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.4% family
Family 62.4%
Non family 37.6%
% family households
Seneca 62.4%
Oconee County 69.7%
South Carolina 65%

Average household size

2.18
persons per household
Seneca
2.18
Oconee County
2.31
South Carolina
2.44

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Seneca population
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Total households 4,082 34,515 2,117,989
Average houshold size 2.18 2.31 2.44
Family households 2,546 24,052 1,377,369
Average family size 2.73 2.73 3.01
Married couple family 1,563 18,484 998,170
Other families 983 5,568 379,199
Male householder 207 1,584 95,077
Female householder 776 3,984 284,122
Non-family households 1,536 10,463 740,620
One-person households 1,459 8,816 618,603
Male householder 673 3,969 273,409
Senior (65+) living alone 143 1,326 86,486
Female householder 786 4,847 345,194
Senior (65+) living alone 380 2,680 172,484
Other living arrangements 77 1,647 122,017

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

4,648
housing units
Seneca 4,648
Oconee County 42,100
South Carolina 2,443,039

Occupancy status

87.8% occupied
Occupied 87.8%
Vacant 12.2%
vacancy rate
Seneca 12.2%
Oconee County 18%
South Carolina 13.3%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

63.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
63.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
33.7%
Mobile homes
3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1984
Half of houses were built before 1984, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
7.4%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
20.4%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
40.1%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
32.2%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.3 5.8 5.7
1–3 rooms 8.7% 7.9% 9.1%
4–6 rooms 63.8% 55.5% 55.3%
7+ rooms 27.5% 36.7% 35.5%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.3% 1.3% 1.5%
1 bedroom 11.7% 4.7% 5.7%
2 bedrooms 29.5% 24.8% 22.5%
3 bedrooms 42.7% 47.6% 47.5%
4+ bedrooms 15.9% 21.7% 22.8%
At a glance
Median year built 1984 1990 1993
Total housing units 4,648 42,100 2,443,039
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

51.4% owners
Renter-occupied 48.6%
Owner-occupied 51.4%
homeownership rate
Seneca 51.4%
Oconee County 76.2%
South Carolina 71.9%

Average household size

2.38
Owner-occupied
1.96
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Seneca 2.38
Oconee County 2.35
South Carolina 2.49

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Total occupied units 4,082 34,515 2,117,989
Year moved in
2020 or later 28.8% 22.9% 25.6%
2010 to 2019 43.9% 38.2% 39.4%
2000 to 2009 15.2% 16.9% 16%
1999 or earlier 12% 22% 19%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.7% 98.5% 98%
1.01 to 1.50 0.3% 1% 1.4%
1.51 or more 0% 0.5% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.5% 5.2% 5.7%
1 vehicle 41.4% 26.7% 32.2%
2 vehicles 31% 39.6% 38.5%
3 or more vehicles 20.2% 28.6% 23.6%
House heating fuel used
Gas 31.8% 27% 27.1%
Electricity 67.7% 69.2% 70.8%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.5% 0.5%
All other fuels 0.3% 2.6% 0.6%
No fuel used 0.2% 0.7% 0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.4% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.6% 0.7% 0.6%
No telephone service available 0% 0.8% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$240,000
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Seneca
$240,000
Oconee County
$237,100
South Carolina
$259,000

Housing Cost Burden

25.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
25.3%
Owners without a mortgage
10.5%
Renters
51.6%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Property value
Median Value $240,000 $237,100 $259,000
Under $100,000 7.4% 19.7% 16.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 19% 21.2% 19.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 39.3% 19.9% 21.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 23.4% 18% 25.5%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 8.5% 13.2% 12.7%
$1,000,000 and more 2.3% 8% 3.7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 59.6% 46.7% 57.1%
Without a mortgage 40.4% 53.3% 42.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,313 $1,367 $1,529
Without a mortgage $390 $418 $448
Gross rent
Median rent $807 $881 $1,180

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

29.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Seneca 29.1%
Oconee County 28.7%
South Carolina 32.1%

Adults without a high school diploma

13.2%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Seneca 13.2%
Oconee County 12.6%
South Carolina 9.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,542
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
4.3%
K–12
64%
College / Undergraduate
27.8%
Graduate / Professional
3.8%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

18.4%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Seneca
18.4%
Oconee County
26.9%
South Carolina
37.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Total enrolled (age 3+) 1,542 15,776 1,202,992
Nursery / preschool 4.3% 5.7% 5.2%
K–12 64% 74.3% 69.7%
Kindergarten 7.6% 5.1% 5.5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 19.3% 21.2% 20.6%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 25% 24.7% 21.4%
High School: Grades 9–12 12.2% 23.2% 22.2%
College or graduate school 31.6% 20% 25.1%
College, undergraduate 27.8% 16.6% 20%
Graduate, professional school 3.8% 3.4% 5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 18.4% 26.9% 37.5%
School type
Public school 76.9% 82.3% 82.7%
Private school 23.1% 17.7% 17.3%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,735
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
10.3%
HS graduate
25%
Some college no degree
21.3%
Associates degree
11.4%
Bachelors degree
19.1%
Graduate or professional degree
10%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
54.4% · 45.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
43.1% · 56.9%
HS graduate
43.6% · 56.4%
Some college no degree
39.5% · 60.5%
Associates degree
44% · 56%
Bachelors degree
56.3% · 43.7%
Graduate or professional degree
44.4% · 55.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Population (25+) 6,735 59,158 3,677,078
Less than 9th grade 2.9% 3.8% 3.1%
9th–12th, no diploma 10.3% 8.8% 6.8%
High school diploma or GED 25% 29.6% 28.2%
Some college, no degree 21.3% 17.8% 19.8%
Associate's degree 11.4% 11.3% 10%
Bachelor's degree or higher 29.1% 28.7% 32.1%
Bachelor's degree 19.1% 17.3% 19.8%
Graduate or professional 10% 11.3% 12.3%
High School or higher 86.9% 87.4% 90.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$33,484
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$19,624
HS graduate
$40,341
Some college or associates
$30,707
Bachelors degree
$48,049
Graduate or professional degree
$67,452

Poverty Rate

4.6%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
29%
HS graduate
21.4%
Some college or associates
12.9%
Bachelors degree or higher
4.6%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Seneca Oconee County South Carolina
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $33,484 $45,819 $47,658
Less than high school graduate $19,624 $29,335 $30,223
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $40,341 $37,505 $37,196
Some college or associate's degree $30,707 $39,151 $44,160
Bachelor's degree $48,049 $59,643 $61,860
Graduate or professional degree $67,452 $79,069 $73,671
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 29% 34% 28.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 21.4% 17% 15.6%
Some college or associate's degree 12.9% 9.5% 10.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher 4.6% 4.6% 4.7%

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