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1 / 19#19. Kershaw County and Clarendon County
- Kershaw County population: 69,905
- Clarendon County population: 31,004
- Social connectedness index: 342,408
Most socially connected counties in South Carolina
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in South Carolina using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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2 / 19#18. York County and Lancaster County
- York County population: 298,320
- Lancaster County population: 108,215
- Social connectedness index: 804,856
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3 / 19#17. Laurens County and Greenville County
- Laurens County population: 68,873
- Greenville County population: 558,036
- Social connectedness index: 883,041
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4 / 19#16. Lexington County and Richland County
- Lexington County population: 309,528
- Richland County population: 425,138
- Social connectedness index: 902,881
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5 / 19#15. Pickens County and Oconee County
- Pickens County population: 135,495
- Oconee County population: 81,221
- Social connectedness index: 1,102,350
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6 / 19#14. Dorchester County and Berkeley County
- Dorchester County population: 169,833
- Berkeley County population: 255,217
- Social connectedness index: 1,360,237
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7 / 19#13. Cherokee County and Spartanburg County
- Cherokee County population: 56,714
- Spartanburg County population: 356,698
- Social connectedness index: 1,420,351
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8 / 19#12. Union County and Newberry County
- Union County population: 26,629
- Newberry County population: 38,825
- Social connectedness index: 1,944,620
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9 / 19#11. Colleton County and Bamberg County
- Colleton County population: 38,874
- Bamberg County population: 12,974
- Social connectedness index: 2,016,630
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10 / 19#10. Chester County and Fairfield County
- Chester County population: 32,226
- Fairfield County population: 20,422
- Social connectedness index: 3,928,722
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11 / 19#9. Hampton County and Jasper County
- Hampton County population: 18,122
- Jasper County population: 33,544
- Social connectedness index: 4,188,374
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12 / 19#8. Florence County and Darlington County
- Florence County population: 137,214
- Darlington County population: 62,416
- Social connectedness index: 4,550,880
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13 / 19#7. Sumter County and Lee County
- Sumter County population: 104,165
- Lee County population: 15,967
- Social connectedness index: 5,229,985
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14 / 19#6. Georgetown County and Williamsburg County
- Georgetown County population: 65,731
- Williamsburg County population: 29,891
- Social connectedness index: 5,407,029
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15 / 19#5. Saluda County and Edgefield County
- Saluda County population: 19,123
- Edgefield County population: 27,607
- Social connectedness index: 6,178,904
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16 / 19#4. Abbeville County and Greenwood County
- Abbeville County population: 24,434
- Greenwood County population: 69,460
- Social connectedness index: 7,079,551
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17 / 19#3. Orangeburg County and Calhoun County
- Orangeburg County population: 82,820
- Calhoun County population: 14,186
- Social connectedness index: 7,347,090
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18 / 19#2. Marion County and Dillon County
- Marion County population: 28,508
- Dillon County population: 27,698
- Social connectedness index: 9,951,240
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19 / 19#1. Allendale County and Barnwell County
- Allendale County population: 7,369
- Barnwell County population: 20,447
- Social connectedness index: 18,790,213
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
