Welcome to South Carolina

City of Chester (Population: 6,955)

Chester is South Carolina's "Pretty Little City on the Hill". The county seat and the largest municipality in Chester County, the city abounds with historic and architecturally significant buildings.

The City's Historical District actually encompasses 250 acres and boasts some 475 different properties, including the City's downtown area, or "Hill District".

Chester's famous hill features many handsome structures in a number of architectural styles with their original Victorian-era facades still standing.

Since the 1980s a number of individual merchants have taken the lead to revitalize the downtown area. The most significant improvement was the city-sponsored streetscape project of 1996. Completed with the help of substantial grant awards, the $1.8 million project further improved the beauty of this charming Southern town. The project has been so successful that visitors from other towns and cities have come to Chester to gain ideas and input on downtown revitalization.

Town of Great Falls (Population: 2,161)

Winding streets and enormous rock outcroppings are among the unique features of Chester County's river town - Great Falls.

Great Falls is the County's second largest municipality and got its name from the nearby waterfalls on the Catawba River. Industrialist James B. Duke, founder of Duke Power Company, played a major role in the early development of the town. In the early 1900s, Duke led the effort to harness the power of rapids in the nearby Catawba River with the construction of a hydroelectric plant.

Town of Fort Lawn (Population: 819)

Fort Lawn is Chester County's third larges municipality. Two of the county's busiest highways (S.C. 9 and U.S. 21) converge in Fort Lawn. the name of the town was derived from one of the town's earliest families, the Forts. The town was chartered in 1892. The town is home to the County's largest employer- Springs Industries.

Town of Richburg (Population: 409)

The small town of Richburg is located in the heart of the County's major growth area along Interstate 77. The interstate access as well as available industrial land, water and sewer service has made this area of Chester County attractive to new industry.

Town of Lowry's (Population: 204)

Lowry's is a sleepy, little town nestled in the northwestern section of Chester County. Approximately 200 people inhabit the small town with the main industry being farm.

Demographics

Population

1990-2001 2001-2006 2001-2011

Growth Rate 6.2% 3.5% 7.1%

1990 2001 2006 2011

Total 32,170 34,154 35,353 36,582

Age Distribution

< 18 8,988 8,875 9,588 9,535

18-34 8,031 7,428 7,543 8,047

35-54 7,971 10,333 10,528 10,454

55-74 5,429 5,512 5,835 6,665

75+ 1,751 2,006 1,859 1,881

Median Age 32.1 35.6 35.2 35.6

Percent Age Distribution

< 18 27.9% 26.0% 27.1% 26.1%

18-34 25.0% 21.7% 21.3% 22.0%

35-54 24.8% 30.3% 29.8% 28.6%

55-74 16.9% 16.1% 16.5% 18.2%

75+ 5.4% 5.9% 5.3% 5.1%

Detailed Age Distribution

0-4 2,413 2,198 2,323 2,357

5-9 2,535 2,500 2,537 2,565

10-13 2,033 2,090 2,296 2,216

14-17 2,007 2,087 2,432 2,397

18-20 1,483 1,467 1,661 1,836

21-24 1,727 1,750 1,872 1,981

25-29 2,401 2,055 2,029 2,206

30-34 2,420 2,156 1,981 2,024

35-39 2,465 2,496 2,337 2,208

40-44 2,140 2,710 2,718 2,466

45-49 1,852 2,743 2,971 2,997

50-54 1,514 2,384 2,502 2,783

55-59 1,487 1,861 2,282 2,595

60-64 1,400 1,498 1,619 2,032

65-69 1,442 1,120 1,053 1,151

70-74 1,100 1,033 881 887

75-79 909 953 847 784

80-84 496 549 530 521

85+ 346 504 482 576

Median Age 32.1 35.6 35.2 35.6

Percent Detailed Age Distribution

0-4 7.5% 6.4% 6.6% 6.4%

5-9 7.9% 7.3% 7.2% 7.0%

10-13 6.3% 6.1% 6.5% 6.1%

14-17 6.2% 6.1% 6.9% 6.6%

18-20 4.6% 4.3% 4.7% 5.0%

21-24 5.4% 5.1% 5.3% 5.4%

25-29 7.5% 6.0% 5.7% 6.0%

30-34 7.5% 6.3% 5.6% 5.5%

35-39 7.7% 7.3% 6.6% 6.0%

40-44 6.7% 7.9% 7.7% 6.7%

45-49 5.8% 8.0% 8.4% 8.2%

50-54 4.7% 7.0% 7.1% 7.6%

55-59 4.6% 5.4% 6.5% 7.1%

60-64 4.4% 4.4% 4.6% 5.6%

65-69 4.5% 3.3% 3.0% 3.1%

70-74 3.4% 3.0% 2.5% 2.4%

75-79 2.8% 2.8% 2.4% 2.1%

80-84 1.5% 1.6% 1.5% 1.4%

85+ 1.1% 1.5% 1.4% 1.6%

By Sex

Male 15,210 16,138 16,844 17,489

Female 16,960 18,016 18,509 19,093

Percent By Sex

Male 47.28% 47.25% 47.65% 47.81%

Female 52.72% 52.75% 52.35% 52.19%

By Race

White 19,178 20,633 21,046 21,462

Black 12,852 13,222 13,984 14,767

Indian 71 112 119 125

Asian 36 100 110 125

Hispanic 80 264 300 332

Percent By Race

White 59.6% 60.4% 59.5% 58.7%

Black 40.0% 38.7% 39.6% 40.4%

Indian 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%

Asian 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%

Hispanic 0.2% 0.8% 0.8% 0.9%

Demographics

Households

1990 2001 2006 2011

Total 11,448 12,194 12,655 13,084

Household Income Distribution

  Under $15,000 3,676 2,612 2,500 2,410

  $15,000 - $24,999 2,475 2,107 1,681 1,477

  $25,000 - $34,999 2,125 1,518 1,391 1,561

  $35,000 - $49,999 1,821 2,409 2,607 2,117

  $50,000 - $74,999 999 2,206 2,447 2,799

  $75,000 - $99,999 210 817 1,243 1,630

  $100,000 - Above 138 525 786 1,090

Percent Household Income Distribution

  Under $15,000 32.1% 21.4% 19.8% 18.4%

  $15,000-$24,999 21.6% 17.3% 13.3% 11.3%

  $25,000 - $34,999 18.6% 12.4% 11.0% 11.9%

  $35,000 - $49,999 15.9% 19.8% 20.6% 16.2%

  $50,000 - $74,999 8.7% 18.1% 19.3% 21.4%

  $75,000 - $99,999 1.8% 6.7% 9.8% 12.5%

  $100,000 - Above 1.2% 4.3% 6.2% 8.3%

Detailed Household Income Distribution

  Under $5,000 1,066 829 768 711

  $5,000 - $9,999 1,454 1,102 1,096 1,090

  $10,000 - $14,999 1,156 681 636 609

  $15,000 - $19,999 1,251 1,063 789 777

  $20,000 - $24,999 1,224 1,044 892 700

  $25,000 - $29,999 1,152 707 925 848

  $30,000 - $34,999 973 811 466 713

  $35,000 - $39,999 731 1,059 759 316

  $40,000 - $49,999 1,090 1,350 1,848 1,801

  $50,000 - $59,999 544 1,128 1,199 1,434

  $60,000 - $74,999 455 1,078 1,248 1,365

  $75,000 - $99,999 210 817 1,243 1,630

  $100,000 - $124,999 68 319 436 579

  $125,000 - $149,999 30 75 160 234

  $150,000 - Above 40 131 190 277

  Median Income $23,169 $34,136 $39,976 $44,319

  Per Capita Income $9,866 $14,533 $16,879 $19,113

Detailed Household Income Distribution

  Under $5,000 9.3% 6.8% 6.1% 5.4%

  $5,000 - $9,999 12.7% 9.0% 8.7% 8.3%

  $10,000 - $14,999 10.1% 5.6% 5.0% 4.7%

  $15,000 - $19,999 10.9% 8.7% 6.2% 5.9%

  $20,000 - $24,999 10.7% 8.6% 7.0% 5.4%

  $25,000 - $29,999 10.1% 5.8% 7.3% 6.5%

  $30,000 - $34,999 8.5% 6.7% 3.7% 5.4%

  $35,000 - $39,999 6.4% 8.7% 6.0% 2.4%

  $40,000 - $49,999 9.5% 11.1% 14.6% 13.8%

  $50,000 - $59,999 4.8% 9.3% 9.5% 11.0%

  $60,000 - $74,999 4.0% 8.8% 9.9% 10.4%

  $75,000 - $99,999 1.8% 6.7% 9.8% 12.5%

  $100,000 - $124,999 0.6% 2.6% 3.4% 4.4%

  $125,000 - $149,999 0.3% 0.6% 1.3% 1.8%

  $150,000 - Above 0.3% 1.1% 1.5% 2.1%

Household Net Worth Distribution (2001)

  Under $0 1,462

  $0 - $4,999 1,683

  $5,000 - $9,999 826

  $10,000 - $24,999 1,416

  $25,000 - $49,999 1,540

  $50,000 - $99,999 1,900

  $100,000 - $249,999 2,155

  $250,000 - $499,999 813

  $250,000 - $499,999 399

  Average net worth $95,785

  Median net worth $36,526

Percent Household Net Worth Distribution (2001)

  Under $0 12.0%

  $0 - $4,999 12.0%

  $5,000 - $9,999 6.8%

  $10,000 - $24,999 11.6%

  $25,000 - $49,999 12.6%

  $50,000 - $99,999 15.6%

  $100,000 - $249,999 11.6%

  $250,000 - $499,999 6.7%

  $500,000 - Above 3.3%