Hampton County, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hampton County
U.S. county
Hampton County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1878
Seat	Hampton
Largest town	Hampton
Area
• Total	563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Land	560 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.5%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	21,090
• Estimate  (2020)	19,096
• Density	37.46/sq mi (14.463/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Hampton County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,090. Its county seat is Hampton. It was named for Confederate Civil War general Wade Hampton, who in the late 1870s, with the ending of Reconstruction, was elected as governor of South Carolina. The county includes two small urban clusters: Hampton (2000 pop.: 4,011) and Estill (3,637).

History

After pushing out the Native Americans, English colonists and later European Americans developed the land largely for rice and cotton plantations, lucrative commodity crops dependent on the labor and skills of enslaved African Americans.

The county had a peak of population in 1910, when agriculture was still the mainstay of the economy. Thousands of African Americans left after that for urban areas, especially in the North, in the Great Migration. The mechanization of agriculture reduced farm jobs.

Since 1970 the county's population has begun to increase, in part due to people wanting second homes in rural areas or coming here to retire.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 563 square miles (1,460 km²), of which 560 square miles (1,500 km²) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Bamberg County - north
• Colleton County - east
• Beaufort County - southeast
• Jasper County - south
• Effingham County, Georgia - southwest
• Screven County, Georgia - west
• Allendale County - northwest

National protected area

• Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected area

• Lake Warren State Park

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,090 people, 7,598 households, and 5,211 families living in the county. The population density was 37.7 inhabitants per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 9,140 housing units at an average density of 16.3 per square mile (6.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 53.9% black or African American, 42.7% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 6.4% were Irish, 6.3% were American, 5.6% were German, and 5.3% were English.

Of the 7,598 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 38.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,846 and the median income for a family was $43,234. Males had a median income of $31,935 versus $26,826 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,262. About 17.2% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 19.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,561 people, 6,993 households, and 4,148 families residing in the county.

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

• Lena
• McPhersonville
• Nixville

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Hampton para niños