Between 2024 and 2025, South Carolina’s population grew faster than the population of every other state in the nation, thanks to an influx of inbound migration.
“Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, South Carolina’s population grew at a rate of 1.5 percent, faster than any other state in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau,” South Carolina’s Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) reported in mid-February.
DEW attributed this growth to people migrating to South Carolina from other states.
“From July 2024 to July 2025, South Carolina netted 66,622 domestic migrants, meaning 66,622 more people moved into the state than out of it,” the department explained.
One of the biggest surprises in United States migration data…..
South Carolina. Not Texas. Not Florida.
South Carolina has the fastest per-capita population growth in the country right now. https://t.co/oCYIJ8jM8v
— The Timeless Traveler (@TimelessTrvlr) March 10, 2026
The only catch was that the growth was limited to just 10 counties: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Lancaster, Lexington, Greenville, Horry, Richland, Spartanburg, and York.
According to The Post and Courier, almost every other county actually experienced a reduction in population growth.
The influx hasn’t necessarily made life easier, especially because many of the arriving out-of-state “migrants” have been retirees.
“Our growth is outpacing some services, especially primary care health positions for the retirees,” Jasper County Council Chairman Joey Rowell told the Courier. “A lot of the retirees also want more brick-and-mortar amenities in the area.”
“We’re one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States, but all the people moving here are retirees who are demanding services, and we have a struggle with trying to hire labor to serve all the people moving in,” Myrtle Beach City Manager Jonathan “Fox” Simons added.
We need a tax for new residents of SC who move in after 2027. Instead of providing much needed infrastructure for a growing population, our lawmakers are busy spending billions in corporate bailouts. We can’t keep up.
Stop moving here, we’re full!
Keep South Carolina Southern! https://t.co/TW5HTvN9zE— Nalin Haley (@Nalin_Haley) January 28, 2026
The state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office has estimated that the state’s population will grow by another 800,000 by 2042, though those 800k people are expected to settle into just 21 of the state’s counties.
The good news for the right is that the population movement is making South Carolina older, wealthier, and whiter, meaning more right-wing.
Some conservationists are worried about the growth happening too fast.
“Traffic issues abound. Some health care services are strained. And the growth shows no sign of slowing, much to the alarm of conservationists,” The New York Times notes.
On the other hand, though more people moved to S.C. than any other state between 2024 and 2025, the state’s population growth has actually slowed down from previous years.
“People flooded into South Carolina as the pandemic eased in 2022,” the Courier notes. “In 2023, a half-dozen counties saw their resident counts rise by more than 7 percent over just 12 months — a blistering pace. Population growth slowed after that. In 2025, only one South Carolina county saw an increase of more than 3.3 percent.”
“While New York and California are losing population, states like South Carolina and Alabama are not only gaining residents at a record rate, but they are also experiencing rapid economic growth.
A recent JL Partners poll captures a shift in perception: 36% of Americans now… pic.twitter.com/bmntbgQAYy
— Foundation for Economic Education (@feeonline) April 5, 2026
According to the Census Bureau, this is a nationwide phenomenon.
“Among the 2,066 counties that grew between 2023 and 2024, nearly eight in 10 saw their growth slow or reverse direction in 2025,” the Bureau reported. “In many cases, counties already in decline saw losses accelerate.”
The good news this time is that this shift is “largely due to lower levels of net international migration,” probably meaning fewer illegal aliens and migrants coming to the United States.
And this is, of course, probably the result of President Donald Trump’s draconian immigration agenda, which has included disincentivizing illegal migration by rounding up, detaining, and deporting illegals.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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