South Carolina will hold its Democratic primary on February 3, while the Republicans will turn to the polls on February 24.  As the South Carolina primary approaches, the following are some key facts about South Carolinians based on data from the PRRI Census of American Religion and American Values Atlas. PRRI survey data from 2022 finds:

• The median age of adults in South Carolina is 49, about the same as the median age for all Americans (48).
• Approximately four in ten (44%) South Carolinians have a high school diploma or less education. In comparison, nearly three in ten have some college education (27%) and 14% have a college or post-graduate degree.
• Nearly seven in ten South Carolinians identify as white (67%) and one-quarter identify as Black (25%). Only 5% of South Carolinians identify as Hispanic and 1% identify as Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, or multiracial.
• Around three in ten South Carolinians identify as Republican (32%) or independent (29%) and one-quarter (25%) identify as Democrats.
• Four in ten South Carolinians identify as ideologically conservative (40%), one-third identifies as moderate (33%), and just under two in ten identify as liberal (19%).

Based on the PRRI Census of American Religion 2022 update, the distribution of religious affiliation in South Carolina is:

South Carolina’s Religious Diversity and Religious Affiliation and at the County-Level

Religious Diversity in South Carolina

In addition to 2022 statewide data, the 2020 PRRI Census of American Religion provides reliable county-level religious affiliation data, including our Index of Religious Diversity, which measures variations in the concentration of global religious populations. The index is calculated so that a score of 1 signifies complete diversity — every religious group is of equal size — and a score of 0 indicates a complete lack of diversity and one religious group comprises the entire population of a given county.

Nationally, the average religious diversity score by county is 0.625. The average religious diversity index score for the state of South Carolina is 0.500.

White Christians in South Carolina

As the 2022 PRRI Census of American Religion shows, around half of South Carolinians (51%) are white Christians; this is largely unchanged from 2020, when 49% of South Carolinians identified as white Christians, which combines white evangelical Protestants, white, mainline or non-evangelical Protestants, and white Catholics.

The top counties in South Carolina with the highest concentrations of white Christians are:

1. Oconee County (70%)
2. Pickens County (68%)
3. Lexington County (66%)
4. Anderson County (63%)
5. Abbeville County (63%)

White Evangelical Protestants in South Carolina

White evangelical Protestants make up 14% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of white evangelical Protestants in South Carolina by county:

The top counties in South Carolina with the highest concentrations of white evangelical Protestants are:

1. Pickens County (47%)
2. Oconee County (44%)
3. Cherokee County (43%)
4. Anderson County (40%)

White Mainline/Non-evangelical Protestants in South Carolina

White mainline/non-evangelical Protestants make up 14% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants in South Carolina by county:

The top counties in South Carolina with the highest concentrations of white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants are:

1. Lexington County (20%)
2. Anderson County (19%)
3. Newberry County (19%)
4. Edgefield County (19%)
5. Georgetown County (19%)
6. Horry County (19%)
7. Dorchester County (19%)

Black Protestants in South Carolina

The top counties in South Carolina with the highest concentrations of Black Protestants are:
1. Allendale County (56%)
2. Williamsburg County (55%)
3. Lee County (51%)
4. Marion County (47%)
5. Fairfield County (45%)
6. Bamberg County (45%)

White Catholics in South Carolina

In South Carolina, the counties with the highest concentrations of white Catholics are:

1. Horry County (14%)
2. Beaufort County (14%)
3. Charleston County (11%)
4. McCormick County (10%)
5. Lancaster County (10%)
6. Abbeville County (10%)
7. Kershaw County (10%)

Religiously Unaffiliated South Carolina Residents

Religiously unaffiliated Americans make up 27% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of religiously unaffiliated South Carolinians by county:

In South Carolina, the top counties with the highest concentrations of religiously unaffiliated Americans are:

1. Charleston County (24%)
2. Berkeley County (23%)
3. Richland County (23%)
4. Beaufort County (22%)
5. Greenwood County (22%)
6. Dorchester County (21%)