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.
In Sumter County, there is somewhat of a large population of people with Turkish ancestry that descend from Joseph Benenhaley (1753-1823) and other Turks who fled the Ottoman Empire and settled in Sumter County to serve in the American Revolution.
History
Sumter County was created from Clarendon, Claremont and Salem Counties as Sumter District in 1798, named after General Thomas Sumter,Sumter County, South Carolina Genealogy, FamilySearch.org, accessed April 2020. 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. As a result, 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.Sumter District, South Carolina. FamilySearch.org, accessed April 2020.
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 , of which is land and (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 Bland Tract Dove Field, Manchester State Forest (MSF) Wildlife Management Area Manchester State Forest (part) Millford Plantation Historic Site Poinsett State Park Swan Lake Iris Gardens Tuomey Tract Dove Field, Manchester State Forest (MSF) Wildlife Management Area Woods Bay State Park (part)
Major water bodies Congaree River Lake Marion Lynches River Pocoaligo River Rocky Bluff Swamp Scape Ore Swamp Wateree River
Adjacent counties Lee County – north Florence County – northeast Clarendon County – south Calhoun County – southwest Richland County – west Kershaw County – northwest
Major highways
Major infrastructure Shaw Air Force Base Sumter Airport
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Sumter County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)47,78356,13051,66450,42346,44254.15%54.69%49.37%46.92%44.00%Black or African American alone (NH)38,33444,13948,61750,11048,53643.44%43.00%46.46%46.63%45.98%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1021982573343380.12%0.19%0.25%0.31%0.32%Asian alone (NH)4678809381,1671,4000.53%0.86%0.90%1.09%1.33%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census569387xx0.05%0.09%0.08%Other race alone (NH)218511571303160.25%0.05%0.15%0.12%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,0391,6674,135xx0.99%1.55%3.92%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,3391,2391,9183,5324,3021.52%1.21%1.83%3.29%4.08%Total88,243102,637104,646107,456105,556 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 105,556 people, 41,904 households, and 29,777 families residing in the county.
The median age was 38.9 years, 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 91.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 44.9% White, 46.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.1% of the population.
65.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 34.8% lived in rural areas.
Of those households, 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 29.4% were single-person households, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 46,753 housing units, of which 10.4% were vacant; among occupied units, 65.7% were owner-occupied and 34.3% were renter-occupied, with homeowner and rental vacancy rates of 1.4% and 8.0%, respectively.
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 . There were 46,011 housing units at an average density of . 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 A Republican-leaning swing county beginning around 1950, Sumter County has supported Democrats in every election beginning in 2004. Republicans have still gained over 40% of the vote since then, however, and the Democrat margins of victory were narrow (less than 5%) in both 2004 and 2024.
Economy In 2022, the GDP was $5 billion (about $48,450 per capita), and the real GDP was $4.2 billion (about $40,489 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.
As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county include Becton Dickinson, Central Carolina Technical College, the city of Sumter, Continental AG, the United States Department of Defense, Eaton Corporation, SKF, JCPenney, Pilgrim's Pride, Prisma Health, Speedway, and Walmart. + Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Sumter County, South Carolina - Q3 2023 Industry Employment Counts Employment Percentage (%) Average Annual Wage ($) Accommodation and Food Services 3,537 10.0 18,980 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 1,736 4.9 42,380 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 241 0.7 49,244 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 342 1.0 16,692 Construction 2,529 7.2 63,388 Educational Services 2,912 8.3 48,048 Finance and Insurance 824 2.3 73,060 Health Care and Social Assistance 5,453 15.5 53,768 Information 187 0.5 62,608 Management of Companies and Enterprises 223 0.6 93,912 Manufacturing 6,366 18.1 62,140 Other Services (except Public Administration) 978 2.8 39,312 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 934 2.7 75,036 Public Administration 2,510 7.1 58,448 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 221 0.6 43,680 Retail Trade 4,497 12.8 29,796 Transportation and Warehousing 896 2.5 60,476 Utilities 143 0.4 79,248 Wholesale Trade 710 2.0 61,568 Total 35,239 100.0% 49,611
Education All areas in the county are in the Sumter County Consolidated School District. - Text list Additionally, the University of South Carolina Sumter is located in the county.
Communities Cities Sumter (county seat and largest community)
Towns Mayesville Pinewood Rembert
Census-designated places
Cane Savannah Cherryvale Dalzell East Sumter Lakewood Mulberry Oakland Oswego Privateer Rembert Shiloh South Sumter Stateburg Wedgefield
Unincorporated communities Horatio Millwood Wedgefield
Notable people Ray Allen, NBA basketball player Richard H. Anderson, Confederate lieutenant general Mary McLeod Bethune, civil rights activist, feminist, stateswoman, educator, and founder of the National Council of Negro Women; born to parents who had been enslaved William Ellison, slave who was freed and settled in Stateburg where he became a large-scale slave owner and lived his life David DuBose Gaillard, in charge of the building of the central portion of the Panama Canal Sarah Ann Haynsworth Gayle (1804–1835), diarist Richard Irvine Manning I, 50th governor of South Carolina Richard Irvine Manning III, 92nd governor of South Carolina George L. Mabry, Jr., major general, Medal of Honor recipient, and highly decorated soldier of WWII Slomon Moody, physician, farmer, and city treasurer of Ocala, Florida Franklin J. Moses Jr., Governor of South Carolina from 1872 to 1874; enemies labelled him the "Robber Governor" Ja Morant, NBA basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies Bill Pinkney, performer, singer, and member of The Drifters Freddie Solomon, NFL wide receiver Angelica Singleton Van Buren, Martin Van Buren's daughter-in-law and acting first lady of the United States during his presidency Joseph Benenhaley, progenitor of the Ottoman Turkish community in Sumter County, South Carolina and veteran in the American Revolutionary War. George Stinney, born in Pinewood, South Carolina, wrongfully executed after being accused of killing two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina.
See also List of counties in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places listings in Sumter County, South Carolina
References
External links