Marlboro County, South Carolina

Marlboro County population, land area and income

Marlboro County had 25,498 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 479.9 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 37th by land area. That works out to 53.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents, so Marlboro County has 42% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $42,308 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Marlboro County's population changed since 2020

Marlboro County lost 998 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.8%. That ranks 45th 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, Marlboro County recorded 1,101 births and 1,798 deaths, a natural change of -697. Net international migration added +22 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -461. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 697 people.

Where Marlboro County is

The Census internal point of Marlboro County is at 34.601700, -79.679400. 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 Marlboro County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Marlboro County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Marlboro County, 9,571 people together, or 38% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Marlboro County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Bennettsville with 7,595.

Counties bordering Marlboro County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Marlboro County, including 4 across a state line. The most populous is Florence County, SC, with 138,049 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Florence County

  138,049 people

  40 mi S

• NC

  Robeson County, NC

  118,624 people

  33 mi E

• Darlington County

  62,425 people

  25 mi SW

• Chesterfield County

  44,488 people

  27 mi W

• NC

  Richmond County, NC

  41,990 people

  28 mi N

• NC

  Scotland County, NC

  33,898 people

  20 mi NE

• Dillon County

  27,577 people

  23 mi SE

• NC

  Anson County, NC

  22,432 people

  36 mi NW

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 87.8 miles WSW of Marlboro County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fayetteville, NC (population 209,496), 52.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Laurinburg, NC (population 15,130), 16.0 miles away.

Marlboro County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Marlboro County is 45069: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 069. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $42,308.