Seniors will comprise more than 20% of U.S. residents in 2030, up from 15% in 2020. By 2034, older adults will outnumber children, according to Census Bureau projections.
Across the U.S., 52 million Americans are 65 years or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and a quarter of them live in just three states: California, Florida, and Texas. By comparison, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska each have fewer than 150,000 senior residents. The size of a state's senior population means a lot in terms of demand for resources like health care, affordable housing, assisted living, in-home and nursing care, and support services, and the quality and availability of those resources help determine where seniors migrate.
With baby boomers moving into old age, fewer babies being born, and longer life expectancies, the senior population of America is on a spectacular rise. The lengthening of the U.S. life expectancy has been particularly dramatic, rising to nearly 79 years from 68 years in 1950.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most seniors in South Carolina using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents 65 years or older according to 2020 5-year estimates.
Keep reading to find out which counties have the most seniors in South Carolina.
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#46. Richland County
- Population aged 65 or older: 12.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.5%
- Median age: 33.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 31.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 35.4 years old
- Total population: 414,660 people
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#45. Berkeley County
- Population aged 65 or older: 13.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.8%
- Median age: 36.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 34.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 38 years old
- Total population: 222,103 people
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#44. Dorchester County
- Population aged 65 or older: 13.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.5%
- Median age: 37.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 36 years old
--- Median age of females: 38.4 years old
- Total population: 161,309 people
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#43. York County
- Population aged 65 or older: 14.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.2%
- Median age: 38.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.6 years old
- Total population: 273,887 people
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#42. Greenville County
- Population aged 65 or older: 15.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.1%
- Median age: 38.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.3 years old
- Total population: 516,126 people
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#41. Lexington County
- Population aged 65 or older: 15.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.1%
- Median age: 39.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 40 years old
- Total population: 295,033 people
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#40. Spartanburg County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.2%
- Median age: 38 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.3 years old
- Total population: 313,791 people
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#39. Pickens County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.9%
- Median age: 36.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 34 years old
--- Median age of females: 37.9 years old
- Total population: 125,381 people
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#38. Sumter County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 24.0%
- Median age: 36.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 33.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.3 years old
- Total population: 106,675 people
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#37. Dillon County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 25.2%
- Median age: 37.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 36 years old
--- Median age of females: 38.6 years old
- Total population: 30,473 people
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#36. Charleston County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.6%
- Median age: 38 years old
--- Median age of males: 36.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 39.5 years old
- Total population: 407,543 people
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#35. Cherokee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.0%
- Median age: 39.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 41 years old
- Total population: 57,110 people
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#34. Florence County
- Population aged 65 or older: 16.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.7%
- Median age: 39.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.5 years old
- Total population: 138,237 people
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#33. Marlboro County
- Population aged 65 or older: 17.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 40.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.4 years old
- Total population: 26,376 people
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#32. Anderson County
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#31. Barnwell County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.5%
- Median age: 41.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 44 years old
- Total population: 21,170 people
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#30. Chesterfield County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.4%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 42.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.2 years old
- Total population: 45,833 people
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#29. Laurens County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.9%
- Median age: 40.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.3 years old
- Total population: 66,990 people
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#28. Chester County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.4%
- Median age: 41.9 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.9 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.5 years old
- Total population: 32,260 people
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#27. Greenwood County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.6%
- Median age: 39.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 38 years old
--- Median age of females: 40.9 years old
- Total population: 70,672 people
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#26. Kershaw County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.0%
- Median age: 41.3 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.7 years old
- Total population: 65,926 people
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#25. Lee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.2%
- Median age: 42 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.1 years old
- Total population: 17,144 people
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#24. Hampton County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 40.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.3 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.1 years old
- Total population: 19,223 people
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#23. Darlington County
- Population aged 65 or older: 18.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.2%
- Median age: 41.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.4 years old
- Total population: 66,858 people
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#22. Edgefield County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.1%
- Median age: 43 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.5 years old
- Total population: 27,021 people
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#21. Aiken County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.7%
- Median age: 41.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 40 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.7 years old
- Total population: 169,947 people
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#20. Orangeburg County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.0%
- Median age: 40.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 38.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 41.9 years old
- Total population: 86,953 people
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#19. Jasper County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.1%
- Median age: 40.8 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 42.4 years old
- Total population: 29,558 people
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#18. Marion County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 23.1%
- Median age: 40.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 37.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 44.6 years old
- Total population: 30,954 people
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#17. Newberry County
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#16. Saluda County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.8%
- Median age: 42.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.5 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.3 years old
- Total population: 20,292 people
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#15. Colleton County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 22.5%
- Median age: 42.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 39.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.8 years old
- Total population: 37,624 people
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#14. Union County
- Population aged 65 or older: 19.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.3%
- Median age: 44.4 years old
--- Median age of males: 42.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.7 years old
- Total population: 27,325 people
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#13. Allendale County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.3%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.0%
- Median age: 44.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.6 years old
--- Median age of females: 46.8 years old
- Total population: 8,789 people
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#12. Williamsburg County
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#11. Lancaster County
- Population aged 65 or older: 20.9%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 21.6%
- Median age: 42.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 40.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 43.8 years old
- Total population: 95,378 people
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#10. Abbeville County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 20.2%
- Median age: 44.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 45.6 years old
- Total population: 24,582 people
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#9. Fairfield County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.1%
- Median age: 47.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 44.7 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 22,406 people
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#8. Bamberg County
- Population aged 65 or older: 21.7%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.7%
- Median age: 41.5 years old
--- Median age of males: 36.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.2 years old
- Total population: 14,236 people
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#7. Calhoun County
- Population aged 65 or older: 22.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.1%
- Median age: 46 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.8 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.8 years old
- Total population: 14,608 people
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#6. Oconee County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.9%
- Median age: 46.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.1 years old
- Total population: 78,314 people
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#5. Clarendon County
- Population aged 65 or older: 23.6%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 19.2%
- Median age: 45.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 43 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.8 years old
- Total population: 33,865 people
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#4. Horry County
- Population aged 65 or older: 24.1%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.0%
- Median age: 46.7 years old
--- Median age of males: 45.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 47.8 years old
- Total population: 344,186 people
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#3. Beaufort County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.2%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.6%
- Median age: 46.2 years old
--- Median age of males: 43.1 years old
--- Median age of females: 48.7 years old
- Total population: 189,732 people
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#2. Georgetown County
- Population aged 65 or older: 27.8%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 18.2%
- Median age: 50.1 years old
--- Median age of males: 48.4 years old
--- Median age of females: 51.6 years old
- Total population: 62,150 people
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#1. McCormick County
- Population aged 65 or older: 34.5%
- Population aged 18 and younger: 11.9%
- Median age: 56.6 years old
--- Median age of males: 51.2 years old
--- Median age of females: 60.2 years old
- Total population: 9,495 people
