Why move to South Carolina?
South Carolina has been a popular place to move to in 2023, ranking as the fastest-growing state for the year, new U.S. Census data shows.
The Palmetto State’s population grew by 1.7% to a total of 5,373,555 as of July 1. South Carolina was followed closely behind by Florida and Texas, both at 1.6% population growth.
In terms of numeric growth, South Carolina ranked fifth — gaining 90,600 year-over-year. South Carolina’s population growth only followed behind Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas.
South Carolina’s growth in 2023 continues a trend in population gains in recent years. The state ranked third fastest-growing in 2022 with a 1.7% increase in population, a gain of 89,368 people.
According to the Census, the South drove the nation’s growth in 2023, accounting for 87% of the population gains. The South added more than 1.4 million residents. The South has also been the only region of the U.S. to maintain its population growth through the COVID-19 pandemic, Census states.
“The growth in 2023 can largely be attributed to the region’s migration patterns as 706,266 people were added via net domestic migration, while net international migration contributed almost 500,000 to the total,” Census states.
Top 10 fastest-growing states in 2023 by percent:
- South Carolina: 1.7%
- Florida: 1.6%
- Texas: 1.6%
- Idaho: 1.3%
- North Carolina: 1.3%
- Delaware: 1.2%
- District of Columbia: 1.2%
- Tennessee: 1.1%
- Utah: 1.1%
- Georgia: 1.1%
Top 10 fastest-growing states by population count:
- Texas: 473,543
- Florida: 365,205
- North Carolina: 139,526
- Georgia: 116,077
- South Carolina: 90,600
- Tennessee: 77,513
- Arizona: 65,660
- Virginia: 36,599
- Colorado: 36,571
- Utah: 36,498
WHERE NEW SC RESIDENTS ARE COMING FROM
The latest Census data on migration between the states shows that in 2022, North Carolina had the most people, at 36,324, to move to South Carolina that year. It was far more than the second-highest state, Georgia, with 19,121 people.
South Carolina also got an influx of 22,215 new residents in 2022 who had lived outside the U.S. the previous year.
Below are the 10 states South Carolina gained the most new residents from last year:
- North Carolina: 36,324
- Georgia: 19,121
- New York: 15,537
- California: 15,035
- Florida: 14,769
- Virginia: 11,446
- Pennsylvania: 9,337
- Texas: 8,811
- New Jersey: 7,926
- Maryland: 7,891
A 2023 study by United Van Lines found that the number one reason (38.69%) people moved to South Carolina in 2022 was for retirement. Another 28.57% moved to the Palmetto State to be closer to family, while 25.89% moved for a lifestyle change. The fourth top reason was for jobs at 20.54%. United Van Lines notes that percentages pertaining to demographic data may not always total 100% due to respondents having the ability to opt out of answering survey questions and/or to select more than one survey response per question.
The study also shows that 40.29% of the people who moved to South Carolina in 2022 had a incomes of $150,000 or more. Another 26.70% had incomes of $100,000 to $149,999.
BY PATRICK MCCRELESS
