• county
  • FIPS 45061
  • Largest town: Bishopville

Lee County, South Carolina

Lee County had 15,958 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 410.2 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 46 in South Carolina by population and 40th by land area.

Population
15,958
#42 of 46 in South Carolina · #2,040 in US
Area
410.2 sq mi
#40 of 46 in South Carolina · #2,463 in US
Density
39 / sq mi
#37 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,697 in US
Median household income
$46,256
#37 of 46 in South Carolina · #2,917 in US

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

Lee County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Lee County

Lee County population, land area and income

Lee County had 15,958 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 410.2 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 46 in South Carolina by population and 40th by land area. That works out to 38.9 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 Lee County has 27% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $46,256 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

15,958

3144th1st

2040th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

410 sq mi

3144th1st

2463rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

38.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1697th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$46,256

3143rd1st

2917th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

15,958

46th1st

42nd of 46 (SC)

Land area

410 sq mi

46th1st

40th of 46 (SC)

Density

38.9 / sq mi

46th1st

37th of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$46,256

46th1st

37th of 46 (SC)

How Lee County's population changed since 2020

Lee County lost 588 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.6%. That ranks 44th 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, Lee County recorded 696 births and 1,178 deaths, a natural change of -482. Net international migration added +342 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -434. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 482 people.

16.5k202016.3k202116.1k202215.9k202316.0k2024
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
696
Deaths
1,178
Net international migration
+342
Net domestic migration
-434
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+31

Where Lee County is

The Census internal point of Lee County is at 34.158600, -80.251200. 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 Lee 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: Lee County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
34.158600, -80.251200
DMS
34°09'30.96"N 80°15'4.32"W
UTM
17N 569022.0E 3779994.7N
Geohash
dnnfmf6u7
Plus code
866X5P5X+CG

Towns in Lee County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Lee County, 2,880 people together, or 18% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Lee County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Bishopville with 2,880.

  1. 01Bishopville2,880
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Lee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Lee County. The most populous is Florence County, SC, with 138,049 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 46.2 miles WSW of Lee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, SC (population 144,788), 38.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sumter, SC (population 42,958), 17.1 miles away.

Lee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Lee County is 45061: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 061. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $46,256.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Lee County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 15,958. That is down 588 people (3.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 16,546.

What is the FIPS code of Lee County?

45061. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (061) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Lee County?

Bishopville, with 2,880 residents inside Lee County in 2024.

Which counties border Lee County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Florence County, SC; Sumter County, SC; Kershaw County, SC; Darlington 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.