Today, South Carolina is an older, more Hispanic and less rural state than it was 10 years ago, while its coast and urban counties have seen most of the growth. The statewide population increased by 15 percent since 2000, a greater increase than in most states, for a total of 4.63 million.
State Demographer Bobby Bowers said he was surprised by the growth of Dorchester County, where the population soared by 42 percent, made possible by scores of new neighborhoods in and around Summerville.
York, Horry, Beaufort and Lancaster counties were the next fastest growing counties, in that order.
the Charleston area really mirrors Beaufort County. The older and resort towns, Beaufort and Hilton Head, saw either a small decrease or gain, while Bluffton (our version of Dorchester County/Mt. P.), grew by 883% (that is not a misprint).