Colleton County, South Carolina

Colleton County is a county in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,604. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lords Proprietor of the Province of Carolina. After two previous incarnations, the current Colleton County was created in 1800.

History
In 1682, Colleton was created as one of the three original proprietary counties, located in the southwestern coastal portion of the new South Carolina Colony and bordering on the Combahee River.

In 1706, the county was divided between the new Saint Bartholomew and Saint Paul parishes. This area was developed for large plantations devoted to rice and indigo cultivation as commodity crops. The planters depended on the labor of African slaves transported to Charleston for that purpose. In the coastal areas, black slaves soon outnumbered white colonists, as they did across the colony by 1708.

In 1734, most of the coastal portion of Saint Paul's Parish was separated to form the new Saint John's Colleton Parish. In 1769, the three parishes were absorbed into the Charleston Judicial District, the southwestern portion of which was referred to as Saint Bartholomew's.

In 1800, the new Colleton District was formed from the western half of the Charleston District. In 1816, it annexed a small portion of the northwestern Charleston District.

In 1868, under the Reconstruction era new state constitution, South Carolina districts were reorganized as counties. Officials were to be elected by the resident voters rather than by state officials, as was done previously, thus giving more democratic power to local residents.

In 1897, the northeastern portion of the county was separated to form the new Dorchester County, with its seat at St. George.

In 1911, the portion of the county east of the Edisto River was annexed by Charleston County. In 1919 and again in 1920, tiny portions of northwestern Colleton County were annexed to Bamberg County.

In March 1975, the town of Edisto Beach was annexed to Colleton County from Charleston County, thus bringing the county to its present size.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1133.28 sqmi, of which 1056.50 sqmi is land and 76.78 sqmi (6.78%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in South Carolina by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

National protected area

 * Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (part)
 * Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas/sites

 * Bear Island Wildlife Management Area
 * Colleton State Park
 * Crosby Oxypolis Heritage Preserve
 * Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
 * Givhans Ferry State Park (part)
 * Lowcountry Raptors
 * Old Walterboro Train Depot
 * Pon-Pon Chapel of Ease
 * South Fenwick Island
 * St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area
 * Tuskegee Airmen Memorial
 * Walterboro Historic District

Major water bodies

 * Ashepoo River
 * Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean)
 * Edisto River
 * Intracoastal Waterway
 * Salkehatchie River

Adjacent counties

 * Orangeburg County – north
 * Dorchester County – northeast
 * Charleston County – east
 * Beaufort County – south
 * Hampton County – west
 * Allendale County – west
 * Bamberg County – northwest

Major infrastructure

 * Lowcountry Regional Airport

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 38,604 people, 15,075 households, and 9,565 families residing in the county.

2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 38,892 people, 15,131 households, and 10,449 families living in the county. The population density was 36.8 PD/sqmi. There were 19,901 housing units at an average density of 18.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 57.0% white, 39.0% black or African American, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population.

Of the 15,131 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 40.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,263 and the median income for a family was $40,955. Males had a median income of $36,622 versus $25,898 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,842. About 17.7% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 38,264 people, 14,470 households, and 10,490 families living in the county. The population density was 36 /mi2. There were 18,129 housing units at an average density of 17 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 55.52% White, 42.18% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,470 households, out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 16.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,733, and the median income for a family was $34,169. Males had a median income of $28,518 versus $19,228 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,831. About 17.30% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.70% of those under age 18 and 19.10% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2000 census, the Colleton County population was nearly 75% rural, with the exception of the Walterboro Urban Cluster (2000 pop.: 10,064). The total county population was also designated as the Walterboro, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Ancestry/ethnicity
As of 2019, the largest self-identified ancestry/ethnicity groups in Colleton County were:

Law enforcement
In 2019, County Sheriff R.A. Strickland was charged with domestic violence after punching a woman in his home. , the current sheriff is Guerry L. "Buddy" Hill Jr.

Politics
As a part of the “Solid South," Colleton County was heavily Democratic throughout its early history. It is now a swing county that has backed the national winner in every presidential election since 1984, with the exception of 2020.

Economy
In 2022, the GDP of Colleton County was $1.1 billion (approx. $29,203 per capita). Its real GDP was $933.3 million in chained 2017 dollars ($24,010 per capita). In 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate has fluctuated between 2.6-4.3%.

Some of the largest employers include Colleton County School District, Cracker Barrel, Food Lion, and Walmart.

Education

 * Colleton County School District operates public schools, including Colleton County High School.
 * Degrees can be earned at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie in Walterboro.

Cities

 * Walterboro (county seat and largest community)

Towns

 * Cottageville
 * Edisto Beach
 * Lodge
 * Smoaks
 * Ruffin
 * Williams

Census-designated places

 * Islandton
 * Jacksonboro

Unincorporated communities

 * Green Pond
 * Hendersonville
 * Neyles
 * Round O
 * Ruffin
 * Canadys