HomeSouth CarolinaLancaster County
Lancaster County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Lancaster County, South Carolina had an estimated 111,652 residents on July 1, 2024, up 16.3 percent since the 2020 census base of 96,012, across 549 square miles. County output reached $5.25 bn in 2024, 1,769 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 94 7(a) approvals worth $58.1 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Lancaster County
How many people live in Lancaster County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024104,475
- Households40,128
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,869
- Median age42.5
- Median gross rent$959 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$329,900
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over75,197
- Population under 1822,523
- Share under 1821.6 percent
- Population 65 and over22,735
- Share 65 and over21.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6459,217
- Civilian labor force49,312
- Unemployment rate4.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.2 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties16th of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included600th of 3,222
Lancaster County is the 16th largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 21.8 percent against 21.6 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lancaster County
Is Lancaster County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024111,652
- Census 2020 base population96,012
- Population change since the 2020 census base16.29 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20242,856
- Births, 20241,223
- Deaths, 20241,187
- Natural change, 202436
- Net domestic migration, 20242,048
- Net international migration, 2024764
- Total net migration, 20242,812
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202413,379
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents43rd of 3,144
The county has grown 16.29 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lancaster County
Where are people moving to Lancaster County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,076
- People arriving, from those returns8,285
- Tax returns filed by households leaving2,663
- Net household movement1,413
- Adjusted gross income arriving$381.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$177.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$93,684
- Average income of a leaving household$76,886
- Largest single originMecklenburg County (986 households)
- Largest single destinationYork County (511 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 986 | 2,105 | $110.8 m |
| York County | 570 | 1,104 | $42.9 m |
| Union County | 379 | 791 | $36.8 m |
| Chester County | 92 | 184 | $4.1 m |
| Kershaw County | 58 | 124 | $3.2 m |
| Richland County | 52 | 105 | $3.7 m |
| Chesterfield County | 42 | 79 | $1.7 m |
| Cabarrus County | 41 | 85 | $3.9 m |
Households arriving report $16,798 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Mecklenburg County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Lancaster County
What is the Lancaster County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$5.25 bn
- County GDP, 2023$4.74 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202410.8 percent
- GDP change over five years45.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Carolina areas BEA publishes16th of 46
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes694th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$50,281
Output grew 10.8 percent in the latest year and 45.3 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Lancaster County
Employment by industry in Lancaster County
- Covered employment, annual average28,110
- Establishments reporting2,236
- Average annual pay$64,550
- Average weekly wage$1,241
- Retail trade, employment3,625
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,489
- Health care and social assistance, employment3,168
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$68,263
- Manufacturing, employment2,784
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$64,316
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment2,259
- Professional, scientific and technical services, average annual pay$108,252
- Accommodation and food services, employment2,235
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment1,609
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 3,625 | 296 | $32,489 |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,168 | 220 | $68,263 |
| Manufacturing | 2,784 | 114 | $64,316 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 2,259 | 370 | $108,252 |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,235 | 139 | $21,511 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 1,609 | 117 | $42,017 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 1,569 | 24 | $117,089 |
| Construction | 993 | 172 | $71,314 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 3,625 jobs, 12.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Lancaster County
How many businesses are in Lancaster County?
- Establishments, all industries1,769
- Employment at those establishments26,805
- Annual payroll$1.73 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Lancaster County
Building permits in Lancaster County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024997
- Declared construction value permitted$425.9 m
- Single family units authorized997
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$427,228
- Units authorized per 1,000 households24.8
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lancaster County
SBA loans in Lancaster County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded94
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$58.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$618,616
- Median 7(a) approval$282,500
- 10th percentile approval$21,500
- 90th percentile approval$1,436,400
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,109
- Jobs per approval11.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active31
- Distinct industries receiving approvals58
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer12.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms12
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter66
- Franchise loans22
- Franchise share of approvals23.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countChild Day Care Services (7)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (12)
- 504 approvals recorded13
- 504 gross approval dollars$18.8 m
- Average 504 approval$1,449,769
- Median 504 approval$1,274,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval17.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.7
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (5)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$77.0 m
The average approval of $618,616 sits well above the median of $282,500, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 12.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lancaster County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Lancaster County
Do SBA loans in Lancaster County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded10
- Paid in full9
- Charged off1
- Status: Cancelled16
- Status: Paid in full9
- Status: Exempt from disclosure64
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Only 10 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lancaster County
SBA lending by place in Lancaster County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending5
- Fort Mill, approvals38
- Indian Land, approvals26
- Lancaster, approvals24
- Kershaw, approvals5
- Charlotte, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill | 38 | $22,400,500 |
| Indian Land | 26 | $19,036,600 |
| Lancaster | 24 | $11,508,300 |
| Kershaw | 5 | $4,972,000 |
| Charlotte | 1 | $232,500 |
Fort Mill accounts for 38 approvals against 26 in Indian Land. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lancaster County
How large is Lancaster County?
- Land area549 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties30th of 46
- Width, east to west28.3 mi
- Height, north to south42.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land190
- Establishments per square mile3.22
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Lancaster County
Flood risk in Lancaster County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Lancaster County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 450120
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Lancaster County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Lancaster County (community 450120), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Lancaster County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Lancaster County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Lancaster County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024104,475
- Households40,128
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,869
- Median age42.5
Common questions
Lancaster County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lancaster County, South Carolina?
The Census Bureau estimates 111,652 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 104,475, in 40,128 households, ranking 16th of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lancaster County's population growing?
The population has grown 16.29 percent since the 2020 census base of 96,012, to 111,652 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 1,223 births against 1,187 deaths, with net migration of 2,812. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lancaster County?
$78,869. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $329,900, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $959 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Lancaster County?
1,769 establishments, employing 26,805 people with an annual payroll of $1.73 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Lancaster County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 3,625 jobs, 12.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 28,110 jobs at an average annual pay of $64,550, or $1,241 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lancaster County?
94 7(a) approvals totaling $58.1 m since FY2020, across 31 lenders, with a median approval of $282,500, plus 13 504 approvals worth $18.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Lancaster County?
997 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $425.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lancaster County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Lancaster County come from?
The largest single origin is Mecklenburg County, with 986 households. Arriving households report an average income of $93,684 against $76,886 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Lancaster County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Lancaster County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Lancaster County
Cities and places in Lancaster.
10 Census places lie wholly or partly in Lancaster County. All 10 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | city | 8,921 | 24 | Wholly in this county |
| Elgin | CDP | 2,360 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kershaw | town | 2,259 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Springdale | CDP | 2,198 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Irwin | CDP | 1,919 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Heath Springs | town | 955 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Van Wyck | town | 951 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Buford | CDP | 346 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Unity | CDP | 244 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Tradesville | CDP | 174 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 65 of the county's 94 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Lancaster County, the largest being Fort Mill (38), Indian Land (26), Charlotte (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.