South Carolina migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 178,163 people moved into South Carolina and 119,061 moved out, a net of +59,102. Drag the year slider to watch the trend, hover any state to see the corridor, or click through to explore it.
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† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest corridors: North Carolina leads both directions, with 32,282 people in and 25,354 out in 2022–23.
- Trend: net inflow has held roughly steady over the last three years, from +64,724 in 2020–21 to +59,102 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
5,570,274
▲ 1.5% year over year · growing
Peak population
5,570,274
highest in the series shown (since 1910)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic migration added more people than anything else: +66,622 in 2025, ahead of births minus deaths (+564) and international migration (+12,930).
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 5,570,274 is the highest on record, in data going back to 1910.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$4.1B
▲ $8.8B arrived · $4.7B left
Avg household income · movers
$88k in · $67k out
arrivals out-earn leavers by 31%
South Carolina wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into South Carolina in 2022–23 reported $8.8B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $4.7B with them, a net gain of $4.1B.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $88k of income, vs $67k for leavers. Arrivals out-earn leavers by 31%.
Drill into a metro
IRS data goes deeper than states. Pick a metro to see its own corridors.
About the data
Migration figures come from the official IRS state-to-state files (exemptions ≈ people). Population figures are Census Bureau estimates, and the peak checks every census back to 1910. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported in the same IRS files. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details, caveats, and a suggested citation on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every year, thousands of people move to South Carolina
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