Official Federal Data
Lancaster County, South Carolina
FIPS 45057 · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Population 104,475
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,869 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.7% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$5.3B ▲
GDP
33.6% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$78,869 ▲
Per Capita
$43,133 ▲
Mean Household
$106,641 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.4% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Lancaster County$78,869
South Carolina$69,324
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.6%
18-34 · 18%
35-54 · 26.4%
55-64 · 12.3%
65+ · 21.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
90%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +0.4 pts
33.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 2.1 pts
11.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
104,475
Population
49,486
Labor Force
Employed
47,196
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.7% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.5%
Key Takeaways
- Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 3,698 workers (18.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $34,940.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $5.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $131,633 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,472, a 5.9x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,609
Cluster Employment
2.01x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Textile Mills
34.17x 518
Waste Management and Remediation Services
2.64x 255
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.37x 1,151
Forestry and Logging
2.11x 18
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
2.11x 241
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
2.01x 515
General Merchandise Retailers
1.81x 1,094
Repair and Maintenance
1.70x 464
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.66x 795
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.32x
Truck Transportation
89 employed
0.37x
Educational Services
227 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Textile Mills concentrates at 34.17x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 7 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$329,900 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$959 ▲
Rent/Mo
83.3% ▲
Owner-Occ
8.5% ▼
Vacancy
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$881/mo
1 Bedroom
$922/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,011/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,382/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,696/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,972/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 83.3% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,972/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
59,217 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.1%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33.6% ▲
HS Diploma+
90% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
26,825/yr
10,045/yr
7,469/yr
2,581/yr
2,410/yr
2,195/yr
2,125/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.6%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
41.1%
Service
14.2%
Sales & Office
22.5%
Construction / Maint.
7.3%
Production / Transport
15%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 47,196 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 20,095 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lancaster County shows strong potential for textile mills attraction, with a 34.17x concentration and 518 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across textile mills, waste management and remediation services, and management of companies and enterprises creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lancaster County, South Carolina, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lancaster County, South Carolina?
104,475 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lancaster County, South Carolina?
$78,869 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lancaster County, South Carolina?
4.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lancaster County, South Carolina?
$5.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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