Allendale County, South Carolina

Allendale County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,039, making it the least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Allendale.

History
Allendale County was formed in 1919 from southwestern portions of Barnwell County, along the Savannah River, and part of Hampton County, just to its south. It is the location of the Topper Site, an archeological excavation providing possible evidence of a pre-Clovis culture dating back 50,000 years. The site is near a source of chert on private land in Martin owned by Clariant Corporation, a Swiss chemical company with a plant there. The site, named after John Topper, a nt who discovered it, has been under excavation by archeologists from the University of South Carolina for about one month a year since 1999, after an initial exploratory dig in the mid-1980s.

Allendale County was born out of a desire for convenience. Having a new county circumvented the need to travel to the courthouse in Barnwell or Hampton. The original Allendale County Courthouse burned down in May 1998, with reconstruction begun in August 2002. During the Civil Rights movement, the Courthouse almost became a site for a sit-in protest after African-American citizens charged officials with deliberately delaying the voter registration of black residents.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 412.42 sqmi, of which 408.10 sqmi is land and 4.32 sqmi (1.05%) is water. The Savannah River forms the county's western border with Georgia.

Allendale is 62 mi from Augusta, Georgia; 73 mi from Savannah, Georgia; 87 mi from Columbia; and 90 mi from Charleston. Before interstate highways were built, Allendale had several motels, primarily serving travelers in-between Northeastern states and Florida. Traffic that formerly traveled US 301 through Allendale now uses Interstate 95.

Major water bodies

 * Coosawhatchie River
 * Salkehatchie River
 * Savannah River

Adjacent counties

 * Bamberg County – northeast
 * Colleton County – east
 * Hampton County – southeast
 * Screven County, Georgia – southwest
 * Burke County, Georgia – west
 * Barnwell County – northwest

Major infrastructure

 * Savannah River Site (part)

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 8,039 people, 3,281 households, and 1,389 families residing in the county. The median age was 51.4 for women and 44.5 for men. About 23.7% of households had children living with them. Renters make up 35.6% of households. Available housing was more than the number of households, totaling 4,040 housing units, all of which are classified as rural. The median household size was 2 (with a mean of 2.2).

2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 10,419 people, 3,706 households, and 2,333 families living in the county. The population density was 25.5 PD/sqmi. There were 4,486 housing units at an average density of 11.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 73.6% black or African American, 23.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, and 5.6% were American.

Of the 3,706 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% were married couples living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.0% were non-families, and 33.7% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 38.8 years.

The median household income was $20,081 and the median family income was $25,146. Males had a median income of $30,440 versus $28,889 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,190. About 35.7% of families and 42.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 53.8% of those under age 18 and 27.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 11,211 people, 3,915 households, and 2,615 families living in the county. The population density was 28 /mi2. There were 4,568 housing units at an average density of 11 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 71.0 percent Black or African American, 27.37 percent White, 0.12 percent Asian, 0.09 percent Native American, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 0.85 percent from other races, and 0.51 percent from two or more races. 1.61 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,915 households, 30.3 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8 percent were married couples living together, 25.8 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2 percent were non-families. 30.0 percent of all households were one person and 12.3 percent had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.21.

The age distribution was 26.6 percent under the age of 18, 9.8 percent from 18 to 24, 28.2 percent from 25 to 44, 22.8 percent from 45 to 64, and 12.7 percent who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males.

The median household income was $20,898 and the median family income was $27,348. Males had a median income of $25,930 versus $20,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,293. About 28.4 percent of families and 34.5 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.1 percent of those under age 18 and 26.00 percent of those age 65 or over.

County Council
Allendale County has a five-member council elected from single-member districts. The council has a single chairman. Council members serve four-year terms.

S.C. Senate
Leading up to the 2020 Census Redistricting, Allendale County was divided between Senate districts 40 (the eastern half) and 45 (the western half). Senate District 40 has been represented by Democrat and Minority Leader Brad Hutto since 1996. Democrat Margie Bright Matthews has represented District 45 since 2015, after she was elected to the position to fulfill the unexpired term of Clementa C. Pinckney.

Following the redistricting, which will be used in the 2024 United States elections despite legal disputes over racial and political gerrymandering, Allendale County is solely covered by state Senate District 40.

U.S. Presidential elections
Allendale County has been consistently Democratic in Presidential voting since 1976 and was among the few counties to be carried by Walter Mondale in 1984. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election Barack Obama received 75.3 percent of the county's vote. In the 2012 U.S. presidential election Barack Obama received 79.2 percent of the county's vote. In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Joe Biden received 75.7% of the vote.

Economy
Allendale is primarily an agricultural rural county. Its primary products are cotton, soybeans, watermelon and cantaloupe. Timbering is also important, primarily for paper pulp.

In 2022, Allendale's GDP was $317.5 million (approx. $39,491 per capita). In chained 2017 dollars, its real GDP was $240.4 million (approx. $29,902 per capita). From 2021 through 2024, its unemployment rate has fluctuated between 4-8%.

, some of the largest employers in the county include Atlantic Power Corporation, AZ Electronic Materials, Georgia-Pacific, South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), and the University of South Carolina.

Colleges and universities

 * USC-Salkahatchie (a two-year campus): Robert McNair, Democratic Governor of South Carolina from 1965 to 1971, moved to Allendale County as an adult because his wife was from there. Because of McNair's influence, USC Salk is located in the town of Allendale.
 * Denmark Tech: Part of the state Technical College System, Denmark Tech serves the county from its location in Bamberg County, 25 mi from Allendale.

The county is also the site of WEBA, Channel 14, a broadcast outlet of the South Carolina Educational Television Network. Ranking 45th in population among the state's 46 counties, it is the smallest county to have either a state-supported college or an ETV station.

High schools
Allendale County School District includes one high school: Allendale-Fairfax High School. The former C. V. Bing High School served African-American students during the time of segregation.

Media
Allendale County is a news desert. The last local news publications, The Citizen-Leader and The Allendale Sun, stopped printing in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Towns

 * Allendale (county seat and largest community)
 * Fairfax
 * Sycamore
 * Ulmer

Unincorporated communities

 * Appleton
 * Martin