• county
  • FIPS 45013
  • Largest town: Hilton Head Island

Beaufort County, South Carolina

Beaufort County had 201,775 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 576.0 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 26th by land area.

Population
201,775
#10 of 46 in South Carolina · #352 in US
Area
576.0 sq mi
#26 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,718 in US
Density
350 / sq mi
#8 of 46 in South Carolina · #385 in US
Median household income
$82,199
#4 of 46 in South Carolina · #395 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Beaufort County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Beaufort County

Beaufort County population, land area and income

Beaufort County had 201,775 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 576.0 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 26th by land area. That works out to 350.3 people per square mile, 3.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents, so Beaufort County is 3.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $82,199 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

201,775

3144th1st

352nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

576 sq mi

3144th1st

1718th of 3,144 (US)

Density

350.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

385th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$82,199

3143rd1st

395th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

201,775

46th1st

10th of 46 (SC)

Land area

576 sq mi

46th1st

26th of 46 (SC)

Density

350.3 / sq mi

46th1st

8th of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$82,199

46th1st

4th of 46 (SC)

How Beaufort County's population changed since 2020

Beaufort County gained 13,946 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 7.4%. That ranks 10th of 46 in South Carolina for growth. The median South Carolina county changed by +2.9%, and the state as a whole by +6.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Beaufort County recorded 7,865 births and 8,849 deaths, a natural change of -984. Net international migration added +2,568 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +13,104. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 13,104 people.

187.8k2020191.9k2021195.9k2022199.0k2023201.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
7,865
Deaths
8,849
Net international migration
+2,568
Net domestic migration
+13,104
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,814

Where Beaufort County is

The Census internal point of Beaufort County is at 32.358100, -80.689400. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades South Carolina's 46 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Beaufort County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Union County: -1.9%Chester County: +0.1%Lee County: -3.6%Bamberg County: -2.9%Barnwell County: -0.5%Horry County: +16.9%Allendale County: -4.8%Chesterfield County: +2.9%Clarendon County: +0.6%Edgefield County: +14.7%Georgetown County: +4.0%McCormick County: +4.8%Pickens County: +4.9%Richland County: +3.6%Newberry County: +3.9%Spartanburg County: +12.1%Sumter County: -0.7%Marlboro County: -3.8%Berkeley County: +14.2%Charleston County: +5.1%Laurens County: +4.3%Saluda County: +2.9%Anderson County: +6.4%Dorchester County: +7.8%Dillon County: -2.5%Oconee County: +4.7%Beaufort County: +7.4%Cherokee County: +2.7%Greenville County: +8.2%York County: +6.7%Colleton County: +1.9%Darlington County: -0.7%Calhoun County: +1.0%Jasper County: +22.2%Marion County: -2.5%Fairfield County: -2.4%Hampton County: -1.9%Lancaster County: +15.6%Orangeburg County: -1.0%Aiken County: +6.0%Greenwood County: +0.9%Florence County: +0.9%Abbeville County: +1.4%Lexington County: +6.4%Kershaw County: +9.3%Williamsburg County: -3.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < +1.0%
  3. < +4.3%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Beaufort County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
32.358100, -80.689400
DMS
32°21'29.16"N 80°41'21.84"W
UTM
17N 529223.3E 3580171.9N
Geohash
djy85feg8
Plus code
864X9856+66

Towns in Beaufort County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Beaufort County, 105,444 people together, or 52% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Beaufort County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Hilton Head Island with 38,158.

  1. 01Hilton Head Island38,158
  2. 02Bluffton36,146
  3. 03Port Royal16,507
  4. 04Beaufort14,334
  5. 05Yemassee (part)155
  6. 06Hardeeville (part)144
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Beaufort County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Beaufort County. The most populous is Colleton County, SC, with 39,259 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 115.3 miles N of Beaufort County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Savannah, GA (population 148,808), 37.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Port Royal, SC (population 16,507), 0.7 miles away.

Beaufort County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Beaufort County is 45013: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 013. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $82,199.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Beaufort County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 201,775. That is up 13,946 people (7.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 187,829.

What is the FIPS code of Beaufort County?

45013. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (013) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Beaufort County?

Hilton Head Island, with 38,158 residents inside Beaufort County in 2024.

Which counties border Beaufort County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Colleton County, SC; Jasper County, SC; Hampton County, SC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.