State Facts for Students
Bring data close to home by helping students collect, analyze, and compare kid-friendly information about their own state. Statistics in Schools
Get started
Choose a state (or the United States) to see kid-friendly facts that update automatically—like population over time, kids your age, commuting, household computer use, and business facts. Once you select a geography, the sections below will display that location’s data.
State Facts for Students: South Carolina
State Fast Facts
| Population (2024): | 5,478,831 |
| Median age (2024): | 40.5 |
| Median age (2020): | 39.9 |
| Persons per square mile (2024): | 182.2 |
| Capital city: | Columbia |
| Largest city: | Charleston |
| Second largest city: | Columbia |
Population (1900–2020)
Kids My Age
2020 |
2024 |
||
| 8-year-olds | Total | 60,983 | 64,231 |
| Boys | 31,025 | 32,761 | |
| Girls | 29,958 | 31,470 | |
| 9-year-olds | Total | 61,776 | 65,077 |
| Boys | 31,504 | 33,254 | |
| Girls | 30,272 | 31,823 | |
| 10-year-olds | Total | 64,092 | 64,928 |
| Boys | 32,532 | 33,151 | |
| Girls | 31,560 | 31,777 | |
| 11-year-olds | Total | 66,580 | 64,439 |
| Boys | 33,792 | 32,913 | |
| Girls | 32,788 | 31,526 | |
| 12-year-olds | Total | 69,023 | 64,819 |
| Boys | 35,088 | 33,006 | |
| Girls | 33,935 | 31,813 | |
| 13-year-olds | Total | 68,840 | 65,464 |
| Boys | 35,122 | 33,436 | |
| Girls | 33,718 | 32,028 | |
| 14-year-olds | Total | 66,623 | 67,798 |
| Boys | 33,915 | 34,347 | |
| Girls | 32,708 | 33,451 |
I Never Knew That!
| State nickname: Palmetto State |
| State flower: Carolina Yellow Jessamine |
| State tree: Palmetto |
| State bird: Great Carolina Wren |
| State dance: The Shag |
| State snack: Boiled Peanuts |
How People Get to Work
2010 |
2024 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Carpool | 9.3% | 9.0% |
| Drive alone | 82.9% | 74.9% |
| Public transportation | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Taxi, motorcycle, or other | 1.3% | 1.7% |
| Walked | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| Work from home | 3.7% | 12.3% |
Household Computer Use (2024)
Businesses
2010 |
2023 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dentist offices | 1,482 | 1,758 |
| Amusement parks | 13 | 12 |
| Fast-food restaurants | 3,388 | 4,227 |
| Toy stores | 102 | 132 |
| Video/disc rental stores | 167 | 6 |
| Zoos & botanical gardens | 8 | 9 |
| Candy & nut stores | 26 | 33 |
| Pet & pet supplies stores | 104 | 158 |
| Ice cream & frozen dessert makers | 5 | 6 |
Source: 1900–2020 Decennial Censuses; 2010 and 2024 American Community Survey, 1-Year estimates; 2020 and 2024 Population Estimates; 2010 and 2023 County Business Patterns. www.census.gov/schools