SC has fastest growing county in the US, Census says. Here’s why it’s doing so well
South Carolina is continuing to surge in population growth, and Jasper County, the state’s southernmost region, has been named one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.
Specifically, Jasper was listed as the nation’s fastest-growing county in terms of housing units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The housing stock in Jasper County grew by 8.4% between 2023 and 2024, outpacing every other county in the country, the Census data shows.
Conveniently situated between larger urban areas like Bluffton, SC and Savannah, GA, Jasper County’s growth is fueled by its proximity to larger areas, availability of retirement communities and job opportunities.
A snapshot of the growing region
This sharp rise in Lowcountry growth seems to reflect both a broader regional trend and Jasper County’s own unique appeal within the rapidly developing area.
Major projects over the last few years within the county that have complemented this spike in growth include:
The TS Conductor manufacturing plant bringing 400+ jobs and development by the fall 2025
Strategically nestled between Savannah and Hilton Head, the city of Hardeeville, the largest area within Jasper County, has been a hub for much of the development in this region.
Hardeeville was also named the fastest-growing municipality in South Carolina last year, growing by 85% between 2020 and 2024, jumping from 7,000 residents to over 13,000.
“It’s been a neat experience to see all of this happening around us,” said Jasper County Administrator Andrew Fulghum. “We’ve had a lot of work planning for the growth, and the basic strategy has always been, for the last 20 years, to try to channel the growth into our municipalities — and it’s working.”
Out of the 46 counties in the Palmetto State, the growth of Jasper County and the Lowcountry region has exploded over the last five years.
To keep up with this rise in population, Jasper County is “gearing up for potentially over $300 million worth of infrastructure improvements to support the growth in our area,” Fulghum said.
That growth trend is especially visible in neighboring areas of the Lowcountry. Next door, Beaufort County has grown 7% since 2020 and now ranks among the top 10 most populous counties in the state.
The cities of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, which together house over 75,000 people, also continue to draw new residents at a steady pace.
Southern growth patterns
South Carolina, despite being the 10th smallest state by land area, has become a population magnet in the Southeast.
The U.S. Census Bureau also reports a statewide growth rate of 1.7%, with one of the nation’s highest migration ratios, with an estimated 2.05 people moving in for every person moving out of South Carolina.
In South Carolina alone, 62 communities grew even faster than the national average for similarly sized towns.
In 2024, 13 of the 22 U.S. cities that grew beyond 20,000 residents were located in the South, underlining a clear regional migration trend.
Across cities and towns in the South, municipalities between 5,000 and 49,999 people experienced average annual growth of 1.6%.
This broader Southern boom is being mirrored in communities large and small, with many crossing key population milestones, putting the Southern region of the U.S. as the leader in population growth.
This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "SC has fastest growing county in the US, Census says. Here’s why it’s doing so well."
