Sumter County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,556. Its county seat is Sumter. Sumter County comprises the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC Combined Statistical Area. The county is also part of "The Midlands" area. It is the home of Shaw AFB, headquarters to the 9th Air Force, AFCENT, United States Army Central, with a number of other tenant units. It is one of largest bases in the USAF's Air Combat Command. On September 17, 2024, the National Park Service announced that the City of Sumter and Sumter County were jointly named a World War II Heritage City.

History

Sumter County was created from Clarendon, Claremont and Salem Counties as Sumter District in 1798, named after General Thomas Sumter, and became effective in 1800. When the home of Sumter District's clerk of records burnt in 1801, the formative records of the three predecessor counties were also destroyed in the conflagration. So documentary evidence that the three counties were within St. Mark's Parish (formed in 1757 from Prince Frederick's Parish, Craven County) in Camden District (formed 1769) derives from family genealogies and legislative records. On December 19, 1855, a legislative act was passed partitioning Sumter District by forming Clarendon District, with the same boundaries as defined for Clarendon County in 1785. When effectuated in 1857, a northeastern part of Sumter District (formerly in Salem County) was also separated in the partition (the area east of a line drawn from the northernmost point of old Clarendon County continued north-northeasterly to a point on the boundary line with Darlington District (Sumter County's northeastern cornerpoint abutting Florence County since 1888). The Sumter District gained a form of self-rule and was renamed Sumter County under the 1868 Constitution. In 1898, a northwestern part of Sumter County was detached to form part of the first Lee County, but its formation was declared unconstitutional in 1899. In 1902, an even larger northern part of Sumter County (more or less the remaining part of former Salem County) was properly legally detached to form the major sections of the current Lee County, of which some acreage reverted in 1914. In 1921, southern Sumter County received a section from Clarendon County, of which some acreage reverted in 1922, creating the current boundaries of Sumter County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 682.09 sqmi, of which 665.08 sqmi is land and 17.01 sqmi (2.49%) is water. It is drained by the Black River and its tributaries. Its western border is formed by the Wateree River. One of South Carolina's most famous areas are the High Hills of Santee comprising the western part of the county. The county is one of five that borders Lake Marion, also known as South Carolina's "Inland Sea".

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 105,556 people, 44,105 households, and 29,777 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 107,456 people, 40,398 households, and 28,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 161.6 PD/sqmi. There were 46,011 housing units at an average density of 69.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 48.2% white, 46.9% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 7.2% were Subsaharan African, 6.9% were American, 6.1% were English, 5.9% were German, and 5.7% were Irish. Of the 40,398 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 35.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,137 and the median income for a family was $45,460. Males had a median income of $36,101 versus $28,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,944. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $5 billion (about $48,450 per capita), and the real GDP was $4.2 billion (about $40,489 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county include Becton Dickinson, Central Carolina Technical College, the city of Sumter, Continental AG, the United States Department of Defense, Eaton Corporation, SKF, JCPenney, Pilgrim's Pride, Prisma Health, Speedway, and Walmart.

Education

All areas in the county are in the Sumter County Consolidated School District. Additionally, the University of South Carolina Sumter is located in the county.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people