• county
  • FIPS 45081
  • Largest town: Saluda

Saluda County, South Carolina

Saluda County had 19,452 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 453.2 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 39th by land area.

Population
19,452
#40 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,862 in US
Area
453.2 sq mi
#39 of 46 in South Carolina · #2,259 in US
Density
43 / sq mi
#36 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,602 in US
Median household income
$60,220
#19 of 46 in South Carolina · #1,813 in US

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

Saluda County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Saluda County

Saluda County population, land area and income

Saluda County had 19,452 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 453.2 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 46 in South Carolina by population and 39th by land area. That works out to 42.9 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 Saluda County has 32% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $60,220 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

19,452

3144th1st

1862nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

453 sq mi

3144th1st

2259th of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1602nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$60,220

3143rd1st

1813th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

19,452

46th1st

40th of 46 (SC)

Land area

453 sq mi

46th1st

39th of 46 (SC)

Density

42.9 / sq mi

46th1st

36th of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$60,220

46th1st

19th of 46 (SC)

How Saluda County's population changed since 2020

Saluda County gained 544 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.9%. That ranks 23rd 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, Saluda County recorded 1,044 births and 1,226 deaths, a natural change of -182. Net international migration added +358 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +321. The largest single component was international migration, which added 358 people.

18.9k202018.9k202119.1k202219.3k202319.5k2024
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
1,044
Deaths
1,226
Net international migration
+358
Net domestic migration
+321
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+152

Where Saluda County is

The Census internal point of Saluda County is at 34.005300, -81.727900. 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 Saluda 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: Saluda County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
34.005300, -81.727900
DMS
34°00'19.08"N 81°43'40.44"W
UTM
17N 432783.5E 3762982.4N
Geohash
dnjcknrx1
Plus code
866W274C+4R

Towns in Saluda County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Saluda County, 3,565 people together, or 18% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Saluda County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Saluda with 3,061.

  1. 01Saluda3,061
  2. 02Batesburg-Leesville (part)504
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Saluda County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Saluda County. The most populous is Lexington County, SC, with 313,774 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 39.7 miles E of Saluda County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbia, SC (population 144,788), 47.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Newberry, SC (population 10,874), 20.3 miles away.

Saluda County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Saluda County is 45081: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 081. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $60,220.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Saluda County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 19,452. That is up 544 people (2.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 18,908.

What is the FIPS code of Saluda County?

45081. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (081) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Saluda County?

Saluda, with 3,061 residents inside Saluda County in 2024.

Which counties border Saluda County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lexington County, SC; Aiken County, SC; Greenwood County, SC; Newberry County, SC; Edgefield 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.