HomeSouth CarolinaSumter County
Sumter County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Sumter County, South Carolina has a population of 104,725 across 665 square miles, down 0.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $6.29 bn in 2024, 1,833 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 36 7(a) approvals worth $41.0 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Sumter County
How many people live in Sumter County
- Population104,725
- Households41,083
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$56,693
- Median age38.0
- Median gross rent$1,057 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$165,300
- Home value to household income2.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over69,673
- Population under 1824,823
- Share under 1823.7 percent
- Population 65 and over18,606
- Share 65 and over17.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6461,296
- Civilian labor force44,264
- Unemployment rate6.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.4 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties15th of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents598th
Sumter County is the 15th largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 2.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.7 percent against 17.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sumter County
Is Sumter County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.74 percent
- Census 2020 base population105,557
- Births, 20241,302
- Deaths, 20241,240
- Natural change, 202462
- Net domestic migration, 2024159
- Net international migration, 2024138
- Total net migration, 2024297
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-963
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2104th
The county has lost 0.74 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Sumter County
Where people moving to Sumter County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,040
- People arriving, from those returns5,915
- Adjusted gross income arriving$155.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$51,245
- Largest single originSumter County Non-migrants (37,749 households)
- Largest single destination (37,749 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County Non-migrants | 37,749 | 75,578 | $2.01 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,634 | 3,215 | $89.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 868 | 1,721 | $47.7 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 274 | 482 | $14.5 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 247 | 485 | $13.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 245 | 527 | $14.0 m |
| Richland County | 236 | 431 | $9.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 176 | 311 | $8.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Sumter County Non-migrants, 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.
Sumter County
What the Sumter County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$6.29 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.88 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.0 percent
- GDP change over five years40.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Carolina counties14th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents623rd
- GDP per resident$60,041
Output grew 7.0 percent in the latest year and 40.2 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.
Sumter County
Who employs people in Sumter County
- Covered employment, annual average35,179
- Establishments reporting2,305
- Average annual pay$53,273
- Average weekly wage$1,024
- Sector 31-33, employment5,889
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$64,550
- Sector 62, employment5,433
- Sector 62, average annual pay$55,378
- Sector 44-45, employment4,244
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,320
- Sector 72, employment3,412
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,661
- Sector 23, employment2,510
- Sector 56, employment2,064
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 5,889 | 86 | $64,550 |
| Sector 62 | 5,433 | 408 | $55,378 |
| Sector 44-45 | 4,244 | 385 | $31,320 |
| Sector 72 | 3,412 | 194 | $19,661 |
| Sector 23 | 2,510 | 176 | $72,461 |
| Sector 56 | 2,064 | 118 | $41,786 |
| Sector 54 | 1,012 | 227 | $71,440 |
| Sector 81 | 975 | 174 | $45,212 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,889 jobs, 16.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Sumter County
What businesses operate in Sumter County
- Establishments, all industries1,833
- Employment at those establishments29,449
- Annual payroll$1.30 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Sumter County
What is being built in Sumter County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024386
- Declared construction value permitted$62.1 m
- Single family units authorised344
- Multifamily units authorised42
- Multifamily share of units10.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$160,765
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.4
Multifamily is 10.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Sumter County
How much SBA lending happens in Sumter County
- 7(a) approvals recorded36
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$41.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,138,619
- Median 7(a) approval$427,000
- 10th percentile approval$10,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,800,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)389
- Jobs per approval10.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active22
- Distinct industries receiving approvals23
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer38.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms14
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter20
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals16.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (8)
- Most active lenderWells Fargo Bank National Association (6)
- 504 approvals recorded10
- 504 gross approval dollars$8.8 m
- Average 504 approval$882,400
- Median 504 approval$619,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval21.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved23.9
- Most active CDCProvident Business Financial Services, Inc. (6)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals78.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$49.8 m
The average approval of $1,138,619 sits well above the median of $427,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. 38.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Sumter County
Do SBA loans in Sumter County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full8
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full8
- Status: Exempt from disclosure23
- Status: Cancelled3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sumter County
Which parts of Sumter County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- SUMTER, approvals33
- SHAW AFB, approvals1
- LYNCHBURG, approvals1
- SWANSEA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SUMTER | 33 | $38,264,300 |
| SHAW AFB | 1 | $42,000 |
| LYNCHBURG | 1 | $500,000 |
| SWANSEA | 1 | $2,184,000 |
SUMTER accounts for 33 approvals against 1 in SHAW AFB. 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.
Sumter County
How big is Sumter County
- Land area665 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties20th of 46
- Width, east to west42.5 mi
- Height, north to south36.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land157
- Establishments per square mile2.76
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.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Sumter 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 Sumter County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population104,725
- Households41,083
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$56,693
- Median age38.0
Common questions
Sumter County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sumter County, South Carolina?
104,725, in 41,083 households, ranking 15th of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Sumter County growing?
The population has fallen 0.74 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,302 births against 1,240 deaths, with net migration of 297. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Sumter County?
$56,693. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $165,300, which is 2.9 times income, and median gross rent is $1,057 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Sumter County?
1,833 establishments, employing 29,449 people with an annual payroll of $1.30 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Sumter County?
Average annual pay is $53,273, or $1,024 a week, across 35,179 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Sumter County?
36 7(a) approvals totalling $41.0 m since FY2020, across 22 lenders, with a median approval of $427,000, plus 10 504 approvals worth $8.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Sumter County?
386 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $62.1 m. Multifamily was 10.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Sumter 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 Sumter County come from?
The largest single origin is Sumter County Non-migrants, with 37,749 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,245 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Sumter 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 Sumter County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.