Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanburg. Spartanburg County is the largest county within the Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was founded in 1785 and was named after the Spartan Rifles (Spartan Regiment) which was a local militia during the American Revolutionary War. The largest community and the county seat is Spartanburg, which resides in Upstate South Carolina. The ship USS Spartanburg County (LST-1192) is named after the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 819.74 sqmi, of which 808.34 sqmi is land and 11.40 sqmi (1.39%) is water.

State and local protected areas/sites

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 327,997 people, 121,256 households, and 83,432 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 284,307 people, 109,246 households, and 75,404 families residing in the county. The population density was 351.9 PD/sqmi. There were 122,628 housing units at an average density of 151.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 72.3% white, 20.6% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.6% were American, 10.5% were Irish, 9.6% were English, and 8.8% were German. Of the 109,246 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 38.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $42,680 and the median income for a family was $53,149. Males had a median income of $41,445 versus $31,602 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,924. About 11.0% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Spartanburg County has long been a Republican stronghold, having not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1976. No Democrat has won 40% of the county’s vote since 1980. Spartanburg County County Council has seven members, six Republicans and one Democrat. A. Manning Lynch serves as the county council chairman, having been in that role since 2019. Meetings are usually in the middle of the month on the third week and take place at the Spartanburg County administration building in the county council chamber.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $19.5 billion (about $54,626 per capita), and the real GDP was $16.7 billion (about $46,895 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. , some of the largest employers in the county include Adidas, BMW, Ingles, Michelin, Optum, QuikTrip, Sage Automotive Interiors, Siemens, and Walmart.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

There are eight school districts which cover portions of the county. Seven of them are within the Spartanburg County School System. Some of the districts share a vocational school, and also share the McCarthy Teszler School, a special education school. South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind is in an unincorporated area in the county, near Spartanburg. Spartanburg Day School, a private school, is in an unincorporated area.

Colleges and universities

Healthcare

Spartanburg County's healthcare is mainly provided by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. Spartanburg Regional is a public, not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system with several facilities in Spartanburg, including:

Cancer care expansion

In early 2018, Spartanburg Regional began construction on an expansion of its Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute at Pelham location. The 191000 sqft expansion is intended to provide cancer care for more patients along the border of Spartanburg and Greenville counties. The expansion of the building was completed and began accepting patients in March 2020.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people