Newberry County, South Carolina

Newberry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 37,719. Its county seat is Newberry. The name is of unknown origin, although one theory suggests that it was named by Quaker settlers in honor of their home of Newberry, a suburb of London in the United Kingdom.

Newberry County comprises the Newberry, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Newberry County was formed from Ninety-Six District in 1785. Prior to its formal founding, the area was the site of several American Revolutionary War battles: Williams' Plantation, December 31, 1780; Mud Lick, March 2, 1781; and Bush River, May 1781. The town of Newberry was founded in 1789 as the county seat and was sometimes called Newberry Courthouse for that reason.

Originally settled by yeomen farmers, in the nineteenth century numerous plantations were established for the cultivation of short-staple cotton. Its processing had been made profitable by invention of the cotton gin. Cotton was the primary crop grown in Newberry County before the American Civil War. Newberry was a trading town, and expanded with the arrival of the railroad in the early 1850s, which connected it to major towns and markets. Newberry College was established by the Lutheran Church in 1856.

The Civil War interrupted growth in the county; the warfare and loss of lives of many southern men disrupted the state economy. The first cotton mills were constructed in the county in the 1880s, and quickly became an important part of the economy and a source of jobs. With the mechanization of agriculture in the early 20th century, labor needs were reduced.

Since the 1970s the population of Newberry County has been growing from 29,416 in 1960 to 37,719 in 2020.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 647.28 sqmi, of which 630.29 sqmi is land and 16.99 sqmi (2.62%) is water.

National protected area

 * Belfast Wildlife Management Area (part)
 * Sumter National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

 * Belfast Wildlife Management Area
 * Broad River Scenic Area
 * Dreher Island State Park
 * Rocky Branch Natural Area

Major water bodies

 * Broad River
 * Bush River
 * Camping Creek
 * Cannon's Creek
 * Enoree River
 * Lake Murray
 * Parr Shoals Reservoir
 * Saluda River

Adjacent counties

 * Union County – north
 * Fairfield County – east
 * Lexington County – southeast
 * Richland County – southeast
 * Saluda County – south
 * Greenwood County – southwest
 * Laurens County – northwest

Major infrastructure

 * Newberry County Water & Sewer Authority
 * Newberry Electric Cooperative
 * Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 37,719 people, 14,810 households, and 9,705 families residing in the county.

2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 37,508 people, 14,709 households, and 10,129 families living in the county. The population density was 59.5 PD/sqmi. There were 17,922 housing units at an average density of 28.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 62.1% white, 31.0% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.8% were German, 14.2% were American, 9.0% were English, and 7.7% were Irish.

Of the 14,709 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.1% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 39.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,815 and the median income for a family was $49,560. Males had a median income of $38,146 versus $28,961 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,410. About 13.3% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 36,108 people, 14,026 households and 9,804 families living in the county. The population density was 57 /mi2. There were 16,805 housing units at an average density of 27 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 64.02 percent White, 33.12 percent Black or African American, 0.28 percent Native American, 0.29 percent Asian, 0.09 percent Pacific Islander, 1.30 percent from other races, and 0.90 percent from two or more races. Some 4.25 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,026 households, out of which 30.4 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2 percent were married couples living together, 16.1 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1 percent were non-families. 26.5 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 12 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1 percent under the age of 18, 9.8 percent from 18 to 24, 27.6 percent from 25 to 44, 23.7 percent from 45 to 64, and 14.7 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,867, and the median income for a family was $40,580. Males had a median income of $29,871 versus $21,274 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,045. About 13.6 percent of families and 17 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8 percent of those under age 18 and 16 percent of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics
Newberry County has served as a reliable bellwether for South Carolina through the 20th century, having voted for the statewide presidential winner in 17 straight elections since 1956. In the 21st Century, the county has become reliably republican.

Economy
In 2022, the GDP was $1.8 billion (about $45,435 per capita), and the real GDP was $1.5 billion (about $37,540 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.

, some of the largest employers in the county include Caterpillar Inc., Georgia-Pacific, Komatsu Limited, Kraft Foods, Newberry College, Samsung Electronics, Valmont Industries, and Walmart.

Media
Newberry Magazine is a bimonthly magazine, published since 2004, by Summer Media, for Newberry County.

Cities

 * Newberry (county seat and largest community)

Towns

 * Little Mountain
 * Peak
 * Pomaria
 * Prosperity
 * Silverstreet
 * Whitmire

Census-designated place

 * Helena

Other unincorporated communities

 * Chappells
 * Stoney Hill
 * Jalapa
 * Kinards (partly in Laurens County)

Notable people

 * Lee Atwater, famous political consultant