Colleton County, South Carolina facts for kids

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"Colleton" redirects here. For other uses, see Colleton (disambiguation).

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Colleton County

U.S. county

Colleton County Courthouse

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina

South Carolina's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

South Carolina

Founded

1800

Named for

Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet

Seat

Walterboro

Largest community

Walterboro

Area

• Total

1,133.28 sq mi (2,935.2 km²)

• Land

1,056.50 sq mi (2,736.3 km²)

• Water

76.78 sq mi (198.9 km²) 6.78%

Population

(2020)

• Total

38,604

• Estimate

(2023)

38,874

• Density

36.54/sq mi (14.11/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional districts

1st, 6th

Colleton County is a county in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,604. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lords Proprietor of the Province of Carolina. After two previous incarnations, the current Colleton County was created in 1800.

History

In 1682, Colleton was created as one of the three original proprietary counties, located in the southwestern coastal portion of the new South Carolina Colony and bordering on the Combahee River.

In 1706, the county was divided between the new Saint Bartholomew and Saint Paul parishes. This area was developed for large plantations devoted to rice and indigo cultivation as commodity crops. The planters depended on the labor of African slaves transported to Charleston for that purpose. In the coastal areas, black slaves soon outnumbered white colonists, as they did across the colony by 1708.

In 1734, most of the coastal portion of Saint Paul's Parish was separated to form the new Saint John's Colleton Parish. In 1769, the three parishes were absorbed into the Charleston Judicial District, the southwestern portion of which was referred to as Saint Bartholomew's.

In 1800, the new Colleton District was formed from the western half of the Charleston District. In 1816, it annexed a small portion of the northwestern Charleston District.

In 1868, under the Reconstruction era new state constitution, South Carolina districts were reorganized as counties. Officials were to be elected by the resident voters rather than by state officials, as was done previously, thus giving more democratic power to local residents.

In 1897, the northeastern portion of the county was separated to form the new Dorchester County, with its seat at St. George.

In 1911, the portion of the county east of the Edisto River was annexed by Charleston County. In 1919 and again in 1920, tiny portions of northwestern Colleton County were annexed to Bamberg County.

In March 1975, the town of Edisto Beach was annexed to Colleton County from Charleston County, thus bringing the county to its present size.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,133.28 square miles (2,935.2 km²), of which 1,056.50 square miles (2,736.3 km²) is land and 76.78 square miles (198.9 km²) (6.78%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in South Carolina by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

National protected area

Major water bodies

Ashepoo River
Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean)
Edisto River
Intracoastal Waterway
Salkehatchie River

Adjacent counties

Orangeburg County – north
Dorchester County – northeast
Charleston County – east
Beaufort County – south
Hampton County – west
Allendale County – west
Bamberg County – northwest

Major highways

I-95
US 15
US 17
US 17 Alt.
US 21
US 601
SC 61
SC 63
SC 64
SC 64 Bus.
SC 174
SC 212
SC 212 Conn.
SC 217
SC 303
SC 362
SC 641
SC 651

Major infrastructure

Lowcountry Regional Airport

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	24,903	—
1810	26,359	5.8%
1820	26,404	0.2%
1830	27,256	3.2%
1840	25,548	−6.3%
1850	39,505	54.6%
1860	41,916	6.1%
1870	25,410	−39.4%
1880	38,386	51.1%
1890	40,293	5.0%
1900	33,452	−17.0%
1910	35,390	5.8%
1920	29,897	−15.5%
1930	25,821	−13.6%
1940	26,268	1.7%
1950	28,242	7.5%
1960	27,816	−1.5%
1970	27,622	−0.7%
1980	31,776	15.0%
1990	34,377	8.2%
2000	38,264	11.3%
2010	38,892	1.6%
2020	38,604	−0.7%
2023 (est.)	38,874	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Colleton County racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	21,816	56.51%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	13,401	34.71%
Native American	302	0.78%
Asian	186	0.48%
Pacific Islander	16	0.04%
Other/Mixed	1,503	3.89%
Hispanic or Latino	1,380	3.57%

As of the 2020 census, there were 38,604 people, 15,075 households, and 9,565 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 38,892 people, 15,131 households, and 10,449 families living in the county. The population density was 36.8 inhabitants per square mile (14.2/km²). There were 19,901 housing units at an average density of 18.8 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 57.0% white, 39.0% black or African American, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population.

Of the 15,131 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 40.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,263 and the median income for a family was $40,955. Males had a median income of $36,622 versus $25,898 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,842. About 17.7% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 2019, the largest self-identified ancestry/ethnicity groups in Colleton County were:

Ancestry/ethnicity	Percent (2019)
African-American	39.0%
English	32.3%
German	6.5%
Irish	5.2%

Economy

In 2022, the GDP of Colleton County was $1.1 billion (approx. $29,203 per capita). Its real GDP was $933.3 million in chained 2017 dollars ($24,010 per capita). In 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2.6-4.3%.

Some of the largest employers include Colleton County School District, Cracker Barrel, Food Lion, and Walmart.

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Colleton County, South Carolina
Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	1,325	14.1	21,840
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	629	6.7	35,568
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	435	4.6	51,272
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	135	1.4	34,580
Construction	537	5.7	59,748
Finance and Insurance	234	2.5	66,404
Health Care and Social Assistance	1,456	15.5	47,216
Information	152	1.6	79,196
Management of Companies and Enterprises	4	0.0	459,680
Manufacturing	776	8.3	52,832
Other Services (except Public Administration)	173	1.8	35,932
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	264	2.8	55,328
Public Administration	1,056	11.3	52,156
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	109	1.2	49,036
Retail Trade	1,606	17.1	31,096
Transportation and Warehousing	195	2.1	80,548
Utilities	59	0.6	89,960
Wholesale Trade	228	2.4	124,904
Total	9,373	100.0%	45,898

Education

Colleton County School District operates public schools, including Colleton County High School.
Degrees can be earned at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie in Walterboro.

Communities

Cities

Walterboro (county seat and largest community)

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Green Pond
Hendersonville
Neyles
Round O
Ruffin
Canadys