Marion County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the coastal plain of the U.S. state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,183. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Marion. It is a majority-minority county.

History

Early European traders in the Carolinas settled along the Pee Dee River from the 17th century, including in an isolated area called Sandy Bluff. They did business with numerous tribes, including the Choctaw and

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

to the South. Crossed by several rivers, the county was organized by European Americans in 1785 soon after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and was originally known as Liberty County. However, four years later it was renamed as Marion County, in honor of Brigadier General

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

, the famous "Swamp Fox" and a hero of the

. In 1910, a portion of the county was taken to be organized as adjacent Dillon County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.97%) is water.

National protected area

* Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas

* Little Pee Dee Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area * Marsh Wildlife Management Area * Woodbury Wildlife Management Area

Major water bodies

* Cud Swamp * Great Pee Dee River * Lumber River * Maidendown Swamp * Waccamaw River

Adjacent counties

* Dillon County – north * Horry County – east * Georgetown County – south * Williamsburg County – southwest * Florence County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 29,183 people, 11,600 households, and 7,532 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 33,062 people, 13,058 households, and 8,881 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 14,953 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 55.9% black or African American, 40.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 7.8% were American, 6.3% were English, and 5.2% were Irish. Of the 13,058 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 24.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 39.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $30,629 and the median income for a family was $38,043. Males had a median income of $32,414 versus $24,929 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,653. About 21.4% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 35,466 people, 13,301 households, and 9,510 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 15,143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.35%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 41.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.90% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 13,301 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.30% were married living together, 23.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.16. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.60% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 85.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,526, and the median income for a family was $32,932. Males had a median income of $26,133 versus $18,392 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $13,878. About 18.90% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the

, including 33.30% of those under age 18 and 23.50% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2010 U.S. Religious Census, residents of Marion County are predominately

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. But the county had the highest concentration of followers of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

of any county in the United States, at 5.5%.

Government and politics

Marion County is strongly Democratic in presidential elections, having not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

in 1972. In 2024, Marion County saw one of the strongest Republican shifts in the state, marking the closest election since 1988, despite Democrat

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

still carrying the county.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $728.2 million (about $25,545 per capita), and the real GDP was $610.4 million (about $21,413 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars. As of April 2024, some of the largest employers in the county include Coca-Cola Consolidated, the city of Mullins, Domtar, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

Communities

Cities

* Marion (county seat and largest community) * Mullins

Towns

* Nichols * Sellers

Census-designated places

* Centenary * Daviston * Rains * Zion

Other unincorporated communities

* Ariel Crossroad * Brittons Neck *

Friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

* Gresham * Temperance Hill

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1800 establishments in South Carolina Populated places established in 1800 Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties in South Carolina