Newberry County, South Carolina

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Newberry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 37,719.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Newberry.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="Quakers"/><ref name="Quakers II"/> 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 19th 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 1960s, the population of Newberry County has grown from 29,416 in 1960 to 37,719 in 2020.<ref name="1900–1990Censuses"/><ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/>

Geography

Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (2.62%) are covered by water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National protected area

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

State and local protected areas

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

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

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Newberry County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	22,635	60.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	10,360	27.47%
Native American	107	0.28%
Asian	135	0.36%
Pacific Islander	4	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,173	3.11%
Hispanic or Latino	3,305	8.76%

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.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 17,922 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 16.8% were German, 14.2% were American, 9.0% were English, and 7.7% were Irish.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

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.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 36,108 people, 14,026 households and 9,804 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 16,805 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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. The 2024 election, in which the county shifted to the right by over 5 points, displayed the strongest Republican support in the county since Nixon's 1972 landslide.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref>

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $1.8 billion (about $45,435 per capita),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the real GDP was $1.5 billion (about $37,540 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:As of, 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.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Newberry County, South Carolina - Q3 2023<ref name=":0" />
Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	1,120	7.6	18,980
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	787	5.4	33,800
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	474	3.2	45,032
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	166	1.1	13,572
Construction	773	5.3	58,708
Educational Services	1,178	8.0	46,332
Finance and Insurance	201	1.4	43,316
Health Care and Social Assistance	1,484	10.1	39,156
Information	42	0.3	64,064
Manufacturing	5,019	34.2	58,188
Other Services (except Public Administration)	246	1.7	46,176
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	171	1.2	42,588
Public Administration	786	5.4	48,464
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	78	0.5	52,936
Retail Trade	1,477	10.1	28,600
Transportation and Warehousing	280	1.9	56,004
Utilities	73	0.5	65,572
Wholesale Trade	315	2.1	66,924
Total	14,670	100.0%	46,191

Media

Newberry Magazine is a bimonthly magazine, published since 2004, by Summer Media, for Newberry County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

Newberry (county seat and largest community)

Towns

Census-designated place

Helena

Other unincorporated communities

Chappells
Stoney Hill
Jalapa
Kinards (partly in Laurens County)

Notable people

Lee Atwater (1951–1991), political consultant
Pinckney Warren Russell (1864–1941), classics scholar, educator, pastor<ref name="Caldwell-1921">Template:Cite book</ref>

References

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External links

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