Oconee County, South Carolina

Oconee County population, land area and income

Oconee County had 82,475 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 626.6 square miles of land. It ranks 18th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 131.6 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents; Oconee County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,161 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Oconee County's population changed since 2020

Oconee County gained 3,688 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.7%. That ranks 18th 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, Oconee County recorded 2,899 births and 4,836 deaths, a natural change of -1,937. Net international migration added +804 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,957. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,957 people.

Where Oconee County is

The Census internal point of Oconee County is at 34.748800, -83.061500. 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 Oconee County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Oconee County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Oconee County, 15,890 people together, or 19% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Oconee County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Seneca with 9,202.

Counties bordering Oconee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 10 neighbors for Oconee County, including 8 across a state line. The most populous is Anderson County, SC, with 217,183 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Anderson County

  217,183 people

  29 mi ESE

• Pickens County

  138,207 people

  21 mi ENE

• GA

  Habersham County, GA

  49,665 people

  28 mi WSW

• NC

  Jackson County, NC

  45,281 people

  37 mi N

• NC

  Macon County, NC

  38,717 people

  35 mi NW

• NC

  Transylvania County, NC

  34,103 people

  35 mi NNE

• GA

  Hart County, GA

  28,052 people

  28 mi SSE

• GA

  Stephens County, GA

  27,498 people

  19 mi SW

• GA

  Franklin County, GA

  25,208 people

  27 mi SSW

• GA

  Rabun County, GA

  17,711 people

  22 mi WNW

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 126.6 miles ESE of Oconee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Athens-Clarke County, GA (population 128,691), 58.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Clemson, SC (population 18,610), 15.0 miles away.

Oconee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Oconee County is 45073: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 073. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,161.