Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties had 799,636 residents on April 1, 2020, according to 2020 census redistricting data the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. That is 135,029 more than the 2010 census counted, a gain of about 20%.
Berkeley County grew fastest, adding 52,018 people to reach 229,861, up 29.2%. Charleston County reached 408,235, up 16.6%, and Dorchester County had 161,540, up 18.3%, the data show. South Carolina as a whole grew 10.7%, to 5,118,425.
The city of Charleston counted 150,227 residents, up 25.1% from 2010, more than Columbia’s 136,632. In the 2010 census, Columbia led 129,272 to 120,083.
North Charleston reached 114,852, up 17.8%, and Mount Pleasant had 90,801, up 33.8%. Summerville counted 50,915 and Goose Creek 45,946. Moncks Corner, the smallest of the group, grew the fastest, up 68.6% to 13,297.
Builders kept busy. Berkeley County had 93,623 housing units, up about 28% from 2010, and Charleston County had 201,884, up about 19%.
The release gives the first 2020 census look at small areas, including counts by race, Hispanic origin and voting age. States use it to redraw congressional and legislative districts.
“We are excited to reach this milestone of delivering the first detailed statistics from the 2020 Census,” acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin said in the bureau’s announcement.
Nationally, the population of metro areas grew 9% over the decade, and 312 of the 384 U.S. metro areas gained people, the bureau said.
“Many counties within metro areas saw growth, especially those in the south and west,” said Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the bureau.
