Greenwood County, South Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greenwood County
U.S. county
Greenwood County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1897
Seat	Greenwood
Largest city	Greenwood
Area
• Total	463 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	455 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Water	8.2 sq mi (21 km2)  1.8%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	69,661
• Estimate  (2020)	71,025
• Density	150.46/sq mi (58.09/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Greenwood County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 69,661. Its county seat is Greenwood.

Among the 22 counties located in the Piedmont of the state, Greenwood County is coterminous with the Greenwood, SC, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Greenwood County was formed in 1897 from portions of Abbeville and Edgefield counties, which had originally been part of the old Ninety-Six District. It was named for its county seat, Greenwood. This had been named around 1824 after a plantation owned by John McGehee, an early resident. The area was developed largely for cotton plantations and was dependent on slave labor. It has continued to be agricultural in the 21st century.

Greenwood County was the site of the November 1898 Phoenix Election riot.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 463 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 455 square miles (1,180 km²) is land and 8.2 square miles (21 km²) (1.8%) is water. Greenwood County is in the Savannah River basin and the Saluda River basin.

Adjacent counties

• Laurens County - north
• Newberry County - northeast
• Edgefield County - southeast
• Saluda County - southeast
• McCormick County - southwest
• Abbeville County - west

Major highways

National protected areas

• Ninety Six National Historic Site
• Sumter National Forest (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 69,661 people, 27,547 households, and 18,438 families living in the county. The population density was 153.2 inhabitants per square mile (59.2/km²). There were 31,054 housing units at an average density of 68.3 per square mile (26.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.9% white, 31.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.5% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.4% were of African descent, 17.8% identified as American, 8.7% as of English descent, 8.2% as ethnic Irish, and 8.0% as German.

Of the 27,547 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 37.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,797 and the median income for a family was $49,785. Males had a median income of $36,806 versus $29,327 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,728. About 12.8% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 69,351 people, 28,544 households, and 17,855 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

• Greenwood (county seat)

Towns

• Hodges
• Ninety Six
• Troy
• Ware Shoals (partly in Abbeville and Laurens Counties)

Census-designated places

• Bradley
• Cokesbury
• Coronaca
• Promised Land

Unincorporated communities

• Callison
• Kirksey
• Pittsburg

Economy

Greenwood County has developed a modern and diverse economic base. Fujifilm has its North American headquarters here for research and development, plus manufacturing and distribution. The Greenwood Genetic Center conducts nationally recognized genetics research. Approximately 26% of the local workforce is dedicated to manufacturing.

In 2015, the median household income in Greenwood County, SC was $37,060, a 2.82% increase from the previous year. Also in 2015, 28,506 residents in Greenwood County, SC were employed, a 1.03% growth over 2014. The most common employment sectors for residents of Greenwood County are Manufacturing, Healthcare & Social Assistance, and Retail trade.

The overall cost of living index in Greenwood County, SC, is 83, which is 13% lower than the South Carolina average and 17% lower than the national average. The cost of living index is created from the following categories: goods/services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). The cost of everyday goods and services can be a good indicator of the general cost of goods in a given city. In this case, the cost of such goods and services in Greenwood is 7% lower than the South Carolina average and 6% lower than the national average.

Major employers in Greenwood County include Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood County School Districts, Eaton Corporation, FujiFilm Manufacturing, U.S.A.; Carolina Pride, Capsugel, Lander University, Piedmont Technical College, Cardinal Health, Ascend Performance Materials, and VELUX.

Major existing industry clusters include Life Sciences, Food Processing, Advance Materials, and Wood Products.

The per capita personal income in Greenwood County, SC as of 2015 was $33,723. The Unemployment rate in Greenwood County, SC was 4.0% as of Sept 2017. The median household income in Greenwood County was $42,240 as of 2015.

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Greenwood (Carolina del Sur) para niños