Dillon County, South Carolina

Dillon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 28,292.^[2] The county seat is Dillon.^[3]

Dillon County
County
Dillon County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Golden Land
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34.39°N 79.37°W / 34.39; -79.37
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1910
Named after	James W. Dillon[1]
Seat	Dillon
Largest community	Dillon
Area
• Total	406.82 sq mi (1,053.7 km2)
• Land	405.07 sq mi (1,049.1 km2)
• Water	1.75 sq mi (4.5 km2)  0.43%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,292
• Estimate  (2023)	27,698
• Density	70/sq mi (27/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.dilloncountysc.org

History

Founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County, both Dillon County and the city of Dillon were named for prosperous local citizen James W. Dillon (1826–1913), an Irishman who settled there and led a campaign to bring the railroad into the community. The result of this effort was the construction of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad, which later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It stimulated greater prosperity directly linking Dillon County to the national network of railroads.^[4]

Geography

Interactive map of Dillon County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406.82 square miles (1,053.7 km²), of which 405.07 square miles (1,049.1 km²) is land and 1.75 square miles (4.5 km²) (0.43%) is water.^[5] It is the fifth-smallest county in South Carolina by area.

State and local protected areas/sites

• Bass Community Park
• Dillon County Museum
• Little Pee Dee State Park
• Little Pee Dee State Park Bay Heritage Preserve^[6]

Major water bodies

• Cud Swamp
• Great Pee Dee River
• Little Pee Dee River
• Lumber River
• Maidendown Swamp
• Reedy Creek

Adjacent counties

• Robeson County, North Carolina – north
• Columbus County, North Carolina – north
• Horry County – east
• Marion County – south
• Florence County – southwest
• Marlboro County – west

Major highways

• Future I-73
• I-95
• US 301
• US 501
• SC 9
• 
  SC 9 Conn.
• SC 34
• SC 38
• SC 41
• 
  SC 41 Alt.
• SC 57
• SC 917

Major infrastructure

• Dillon County Airport
• Dillon Station
• Inland Port Dillon, major rail depot in the county

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	22,615		—
1920	25,278		11.8%
1930	25,733		1.8%
1940	29,625		15.1%
1950	30,930		4.4%
1960	30,584		−1.1%
1970	28,838		−5.7%
1980	31,083		7.8%
1990	29,114		−6.3%
2000	30,722		5.5%
2010	32,062		4.4%
2020	28,292		−11.8%
2023 (est.)	27,698	[2]	−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[2]

2020 census

Dillon County racial composition^[12]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	12,987	45.9%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	12,709	44.92%
Native American	603	2.13%
Asian	63	0.22%
Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Other/Mixed	1,073	3.79%
Hispanic or Latino	856	3.03%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,292 people, 11,029 households, and 7,016 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 32,062 people, 11,923 households, and 8,342 families living in the county.^[13][11] The population density was 79.2 inhabitants per square mile (30.6/km²). There were 13,742 housing units at an average density of 33.9 per square mile (13.1/km²).^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 48.0% white, 46.1% black or African American, 2.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population.^[13] In terms of ancestry, 13.5% were American, 6.5% were English, and 5.4% were Irish.^[15]

Of the 11,923 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 23.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.7 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $26,818 and the median income for a family was $34,693. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $22,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,684. About 26.2% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.8% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[17] there were 30,722 people, 11,199 households, and 8,063 families living in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile (29 people/km²). There were 12,679 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 47% White, 49% Black or African American, 2.21% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,199 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% were married couples living together, 22.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,630, and the median income for a family was $32,690. Males had a median income of $26,908 versus $18,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,272. About 19.40% of families and 24.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.30% of those under age 18 and 26.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

United States presidential election results for Dillon County, South Carolina^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,526	55.02%	5,241	44.19%	94	0.79%
2020	6,582	50.24%	6,436	49.13%	83	0.63%
2016	5,637	48.19%	5,834	49.87%	227	1.94%
2012	5,427	41.63%	7,523	57.71%	85	0.65%
2008	5,874	43.78%	7,408	55.21%	135	1.01%
2004	4,301	46.57%	4,832	52.32%	102	1.10%
2000	3,975	44.22%	4,930	54.84%	85	0.95%
1996	2,774	39.29%	3,992	56.54%	295	4.18%
1992	3,575	38.07%	4,953	52.75%	862	9.18%
1988	3,793	53.66%	3,251	45.99%	25	0.35%
1984	4,646	57.71%	3,360	41.74%	44	0.55%
1980	3,385	42.31%	4,518	56.48%	97	1.21%
1976	2,527	33.08%	5,089	66.62%	23	0.30%
1972	4,364	72.32%	1,604	26.58%	66	1.09%
1968	2,396	35.73%	2,178	32.48%	2,132	31.79%
1964	2,742	49.72%	2,773	50.28%	0	0.00%
1960	1,439	35.17%	2,652	64.83%	0	0.00%
1956	313	10.49%	1,879	62.97%	792	26.54%
1952	1,473	48.28%	1,578	51.72%	0	0.00%
1948	24	1.33%	808	44.89%	968	53.78%
1944	27	2.69%	864	86.06%	113	11.25%
1940	25	2.80%	868	97.20%	0	0.00%
1936	5	0.45%	1,104	99.55%	0	0.00%
1932	20	1.96%	998	98.04%	0	0.00%
1928	21	3.63%	558	96.37%	0	0.00%
1924	3	0.50%	598	99.50%	0	0.00%
1920	5	0.50%	1,003	99.50%	0	0.00%
1916	0	0.00%	972	100.00%	0	0.00%
1912	2	0.29%	680	98.12%	11	1.59%

Economy

In 2022, the GDP of Dillon County as $887.9 million (about $32,055 per capita).^[19] In chained 2017 dollars, the real GDP was $742.1 million (about $27,808 per capita).^[20] Between 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate of the county has fluctuated between 3.6 and 5.7%.^[21]

Food Lion, Harbor Freight Tools, McLeod Health, Perdue Farms, and Walmart comprise some of the largest employers in the county.^[22]

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Dillon County, South Carolina^[22]

Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	1,065	15.4	18,460
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	174	2.5	25,792
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	105	1.5	40,144
Construction	112	1.6	34,424
Finance and Insurance	129	1.9	45,396
Health Care and Social Assistance	1,106	15.9	43,368
Information	30	0.4	67,340
Manufacturing	1,844	26.6	45,188
Other Services (except Public Administration)	87	1.3	45,136
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	125	1.8	51,896
Public Administration	561	8.1	39,624
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	30	0.4	35,516
Retail Trade	1,399	20.2	30,316
Wholesale Trade	169	2.4	66,768
Total	6,936	100.0%	37,311

Attractions

• Dillon County Museum
• Dillon Motor Speedway
• Little Pee Dee State Park
• South of the Border

Communities

Cities

• Dillon (county seat and largest community)

Towns

• Lake View
• Latta

Census-designated places

• Floydale
• Hamer
• Little Rock
• Newtown

Other unincorporated communities

• Bass Crossroads
• Berrys Crossroads
• Bingham
• Bronson Crossroads
• Bunker Hill
• Carmichael Crossroads
• Carolina
• Carter Landing
• Centerville
• Cotton Valley
• Dalcho
• Dothan
• Dunbarton
• Five Forks
• Fork
• Forrest Hills
• Gaddys Crossroads
• Gaddys Mill
• Galavon
• Hayestown
• High Hill Crossroads
• Jacksonville
• Judson
• Kemper
• Kentyre
• Linkside
• Mallory
• Mallory Beach
• Manning Crossroads
• May Hilltop
• McCormick Crossroads
• Minturn
• Mount Calvary
• Newtown
• Oak Grove
• Oakland Crossroads
• Oliver Crossroads
• Pittman Corner
• Riverdale
• Selma
• Sinclair Crossroads
• South of the Border
• Squires
• Squires Curve
• Temperance Hill

See also

• List of counties in South Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dillon County, South Carolina