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Bamberg County, South Carolina facts for kids

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Bamberg County
St. Philips Episcopal Church
St. Philips Episcopal Church
Map of South Carolina highlighting Bamberg County
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  South Carolina
Founded 1897
Named for Francis Marion Bamberg
Seat Bamberg
Largest city Bamberg
Area
 • Total 396 sq mi (1,030 km2)
 • Land 393 sq mi (1,020 km2)
 • Water 2.2 sq mi (6 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 15,987
 • Estimate 
(2020)
13,860
 • Density 40.37/sq mi (15.587/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 6th

Bamberg County is a county located in the southwestern portion of U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,987, making the rural county the fourth-least populous of any in South Carolina. Its county seat is Bamberg.

Voorhees College, a historically black college, was established here in the late nineteenth century. It was long affiliated with the Episcopal Church (U.S.).

History

The county was created from the eastern portion of Barnwell County after the South Carolina Constitution was adopted in 1895 with an article prescribing the process to establish new counties. The election to create Bamberg County was held on January 19, 1897. The name Bamberg was selected to honor General Francis Marion Bamberg. In 1919. and again in 1920, tiny portions of northwestern Colleton County were annexed to Bamberg County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 396 square miles (1,030 km2), of which 393 square miles (1,020 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.6%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in South Carolina by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Adjacent Counties

Major highways

  • US 21
  • US 78
  • US 301
  • US 321
  • US 601

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 17,296
1910 18,544 7.2%
1920 20,962 13.0%
1930 19,410 −7.4%
1940 18,643 −4.0%
1950 17,533 −6.0%
1960 16,274 −7.2%
1970 15,950 −2.0%
1980 18,118 13.6%
1990 16,902 −6.7%
2000 16,658 −1.4%
2010 15,987 −4.0%
2020 (est.) 13,860 −13.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 15,987 people, 6,048 households, and 3,920 families living in the county. The population density was 40.6 inhabitants per square mile (15.7/km2). There were 7,716 housing units at an average density of 19.6 per square mile (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 61.5% black or African American, 36.1% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 5.1% were American, and 5.0% were German.

Of the 6,048 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.2% were non-families, and 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 39.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,538 and the median income for a family was $41,625. Males had a median income of $33,893 versus $27,324 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,236. About 23.6% of families and 29.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.7% of those under age 18 and 27.0% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Bamberg County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 5,010 37.64%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 7,749 58.22%
Native American 25 0.19%
Asian 66 0.5%
Other/Mixed 320 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 141 1.06%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,311 people, 5,334 households, and 3,355 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

Towns

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Bamberg para niños

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