Bamberg County, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bamberg County
U.S. county
St. Philip's Episcopal Church
Seal Logo
Motto(s):  "Bamberg County Naturally"
Location within the U.S. state of 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 community	Bamberg
Area
• Total	395.57 sq mi (1,024.5 km2)
• Land	393.37 sq mi (1,018.8 km2)
• Water	2.20 sq mi (5.7 km2)  0.56%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,311
• Estimate  (2023)	12,974
• Density	33.84/sq mi (13.07/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Bamberg County is a county located in the southwestern part of South Carolina. In 2020, about 13,311 people lived there. This makes it one of the smaller counties in South Carolina. The main town, or county seat, is Bamberg.

Voorhees University is a special college in Bamberg County. It was started a long time ago for African American students. It is connected to the Episcopal Church.

History of Bamberg County

This area has always been a farming region. For a long time, farmers grew a lot of cotton here. Because of this, many African Americans have lived and worked in the county throughout its history.

Bamberg County was created from a part of Barnwell County. This happened in 1897. The people voted to create the new county on January 19, 1897. They named it Bamberg to honor General Francis Marion Bamberg. Later, in 1919 and 1920, small parts of Colleton County were added to Bamberg County.

Geography and Nature

Bamberg County covers about 395.57 square miles. Most of this area is land, about 393.37 square miles. Only a small part, about 2.20 square miles, is water. It is one of the smallest counties in South Carolina.

Special Natural Places

• Cathedral Bay Heritage Preserve
• Rivers Bridge State Park

Rivers and Creeks

• Edisto River
• Lemon Creek
• Little Salkehatchie River
• Salkehatchie River

Neighboring Counties

Bamberg County shares borders with these other counties:

• Orangeburg County – to the north
• Dorchester County – to the east
• Colleton County – to the southeast
• Hampton County – to the south
• Allendale County – to the southwest
• Barnwell County – to the west

Main Roads and Transport

Many important roads pass through Bamberg County:

• US 21
• US 78
• 
  US 78 Conn.
• US 301
• US 321
• US 601
• SC 61
• SC 64
• SC 70
• SC 217
• SC 362

The county also has:

• Bamberg County Airport
• Denmark Station (a train station)

People and Population

In 2020, there were 13,311 people living in Bamberg County. Most people were Black or African American (about 58%). About 38% were White.

In 2010, the average age of people in the county was about 39 years old. The average income for a family was around $41,625 per year.

Economy and Jobs

The economy of Bamberg County was about $380.2 million in 2022. This means the county produced goods and services worth that much. The unemployment rate has changed between 4% and 7% in recent years.

As of April 2024^[update], some of the biggest employers in the county are Denmark Technical College and Voorhees University. These schools provide many jobs.

Towns and Communities

Cities

• Bamberg (This is the main town and the largest community.)
• Denmark

Towns

• Ehrhardt
• Govan
• Olar

Education

There are two colleges in Bamberg County:

• Denmark Technical College
• Voorhees University

Since 2022, all schools in the county are part of the Bamberg County School District. Before that, there were two separate school districts.