• county
  • FIPS 45039
  • Largest town: Winnsboro

Fairfield County, South Carolina

Fairfield County had 20,369 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 686.3 square miles of land. It ranks 39th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 18th by land area.

Population
20,369
#39 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,805 in US
Area
686.3 sq mi
#18 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,367 in US
Density
30 / sq mi
#44 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,935 in US
Median household income
$48,123
#34 of 46 in South Carolina · #2,822 in US

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

Fairfield County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Fairfield County

Fairfield County population, land area and income

Fairfield County had 20,369 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 686.3 square miles of land. It ranks 39th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 18th by land area. That works out to 29.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents, so Fairfield County has 34% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $48,123 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

20,369

3144th1st

1805th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

686 sq mi

3144th1st

1367th of 3,144 (US)

Density

29.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1935th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$48,123

3143rd1st

2822nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

20,369

46th1st

39th of 46 (SC)

Land area

686 sq mi

46th1st

18th of 46 (SC)

Density

29.7 / sq mi

46th1st

44th of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$48,123

46th1st

34th of 46 (SC)

How Fairfield County's population changed since 2020

Fairfield County lost 503 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.4%. That ranks 39th 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, Fairfield County recorded 770 births and 1,571 deaths, a natural change of -801. Net international migration added -10 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +243. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 801 people.

20.9k202020.7k202120.4k202220.4k202320.4k2024
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
770
Deaths
1,571
Net international migration
-10
Net domestic migration
+243
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-23

Where Fairfield County is

The Census internal point of Fairfield County is at 34.395700, -81.127000. 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 Fairfield 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: Fairfield County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
34.395700, -81.127000
DMS
34°23'44.52"N 81°07'37.20"W
UTM
17N 488326.5E 3806039.1N
Geohash
dnn79vt17
Plus code
866W9VWF+75

Towns in Fairfield County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Fairfield County, 3,412 people together, or 17% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Fairfield County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Winnsboro with 3,279.

  1. 01Winnsboro3,279
  2. 02Blythewood (part)133
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Fairfield County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Fairfield County. The most populous is Richland County, SC, with 430,651 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 27.8 miles S of Fairfield County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, SC (population 144,788), 27.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Irmo, SC (population 12,086), 20.6 miles away.

Fairfield County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Fairfield County is 45039: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 039. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $48,123.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Fairfield County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 20,369. That is down 503 people (2.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 20,872.

What is the FIPS code of Fairfield County?

45039. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (039) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Fairfield County?

Winnsboro, with 3,279 residents inside Fairfield County in 2024.

Which counties border Fairfield County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Richland County, SC; Lancaster County, SC; Kershaw County, SC; Newberry County, SC; Chester County, SC; Union 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.