Data / Rankings / Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over / Counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over

Charleston County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 46 counties in 2021, at 17.8%. Marlboro County had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 7.3% and the figure for South Carolina was 11.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest17.8Charleston County
Lowest3Marlboro County
Median7.346 counties
South Carolina11.2History

Map of counties, 2021

Abbeville County: 5.5 %Aiken County: 10.5 %Allendale County: 4.6 %Anderson County: 9.2 %Bamberg County: 6.8 %Barnwell County: 4.5 %Beaufort County: 17.7 %Berkeley County: 9.4 %Calhoun County: 5.8 %Charleston County: 17.8 %Cherokee County: 6.3 %Chester County: 4.2 %Chesterfield County: 4.6 %Clarendon County: 6.2 %Colleton County: 6.1 %Darlington County: 7 %Dillon County: 4 %Dorchester County: 10.1 %Edgefield County: 8.2 %Fairfield County: 5.2 %Florence County: 9 %Georgetown County: 11.6 %Greenville County: 13.9 %Greenwood County: 8.9 %Hampton County: 3.4 %Horry County: 8.7 %Jasper County: 7 %Kershaw County: 8.1 %Lancaster County: 10.7 %Laurens County: 5.7 %Lee County: 5.8 %Lexington County: 11.2 %McCormick County: 7.4 %Marion County: 4.7 %Marlboro County: 3 %Newberry County: 7.2 %Oconee County: 11 %Orangeburg County: 8.7 %Pickens County: 12.2 %Richland County: 16.3 %Saluda County: 7.2 %Spartanburg County: 9.4 %Sumter County: 8.9 %Union County: 3.9 %Williamsburg County: 5.7 %York County: 12.5 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 6
  • 6 to 7.3
  • 7.3 to 9
  • 9 to 11
  • 11 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Charleston County: 17.8 %Charleston County17.8Beaufort County: 17.7 %Beaufort County17.7Richland County: 16.3 %Richland County16.3Greenville County: 13.9 %Greenville County13.9York County: 12.5 %York County12.5Pickens County: 12.2 %Pickens County12.2Georgetown County: 11.6 %Georgetown County11.6Lexington County: 11.2 %Lexington County11.2Oconee County: 11 %Oconee County11Lancaster County: 10.7 %Lancaster County10.7Aiken County: 10.5 %Aiken County10.5Dorchester County: 10.1 %Dorchester County10.1Berkeley County: 9.4 %Berkeley County9.4Spartanburg County: 9.4 %Spartanburg County9.4Anderson County: 9.2 %Anderson County9.2Florence County: 9 %Florence County9Greenwood County: 8.9 %Greenwood County8.9Sumter County: 8.9 %Sumter County8.9Horry County: 8.7 %Horry County8.7Orangeburg County: 8.7 %Orangeburg County8.7Edgefield County: 8.2 %Edgefield County8.2Kershaw County: 8.1 %Kershaw County8.1McCormick County: 7.4 %McCormick County7.4Saluda County: 7.2 %Saluda County7.2Newberry County: 7.2 %Newberry County7.2Darlington County: 7 %Darlington County7Jasper County: 7 %Jasper County7Bamberg County: 6.8 %Bamberg County6.8Cherokee County: 6.3 %Cherokee County6.3Clarendon County: 6.2 %Clarendon County6.2Colleton County: 6.1 %Colleton County6.1Lee County: 5.8 %Lee County5.8Calhoun County: 5.8 %Calhoun County5.8Laurens County: 5.7 %Laurens County5.7Williamsburg County: 5.7 %Williamsburg County5.7Abbeville County: 5.5 %Abbeville County5.5Fairfield County: 5.2 %Fairfield County5.2Marion County: 4.7 %Marion County4.7Allendale County: 4.6 %Allendale County4.6Chesterfield County: 4.6 %Chesterfield County4.6Barnwell County: 4.5 %Barnwell County4.5Chester County: 4.2 %Chester County4.2Dillon County: 4 %Dillon County4Union County: 3.9 %Union County3.9Hampton County: 3.4 %Hampton County3.4Marlboro County: 3 %Marlboro County3Charleston County: 17.8 %Charleston County17.8Beaufort County: 17.7 %Beaufort County17.7Richland County: 16.3 %Richland County16.3Greenville County: 13.9 %Greenville County13.9York County: 12.5 %York County12.5Pickens County: 12.2 %Pickens County12.2Georgetown County: 11.6 %Georgetown County11.6Lexington County: 11.2 %Lexington County11.2Oconee County: 11 %Oconee County11Lancaster County: 10.7 %Lancaster County10.7Aiken County: 10.5 %Aiken County10.5Dorchester County: 10.1 %Dorchester County10.1Berkeley County: 9.4 %Berkeley County9.4Spartanburg County: 9.4 %Spartanburg County9.4Anderson County: 9.2 %Anderson County9.2Florence County: 9 %Florence County9Greenwood County: 8.9 %Greenwood County8.9Sumter County: 8.9 %Sumter County8.9Horry County: 8.7 %Horry County8.7Orangeburg County: 8.7 %Orangeburg County8.7Edgefield County: 8.2 %Edgefield County8.2Kershaw County: 8.1 %Kershaw County8.1McCormick County: 7.4 %McCormick County7.4Saluda County: 7.2 %Saluda County7.2Newberry County: 7.2 %Newberry County7.2Darlington County: 7 %Darlington County7Jasper County: 7 %Jasper County7Bamberg County: 6.8 %Bamberg County6.8Cherokee County: 6.3 %Cherokee County6.3Clarendon County: 6.2 %Clarendon County6.2Colleton County: 6.1 %Colleton County6.1Lee County: 5.8 %Lee County5.8Calhoun County: 5.8 %Calhoun County5.8Laurens County: 5.7 %Laurens County5.7Williamsburg County: 5.7 %Williamsburg County5.7Abbeville County: 5.5 %Abbeville County5.5Fairfield County: 5.2 %Fairfield County5.2Marion County: 4.7 %Marion County4.7Allendale County: 4.6 %Allendale County4.6Chesterfield County: 4.6 %Chesterfield County4.6Barnwell County: 4.5 %Barnwell County4.5Chester County: 4.2 %Chester County4.2Dillon County: 4 %Dillon County4Union County: 3.9 %Union County3.9Hampton County: 3.4 %Hampton County3.4Marlboro County: 3 %Marlboro County3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Charleston County17.8
2Beaufort County17.7
3Richland County16.3
4Greenville County13.9
5York County12.5
6Pickens County12.2
7Georgetown County11.6
8Lexington County11.2
9Oconee County11
10Lancaster County10.7
11Aiken County10.5
12Dorchester County10.1
13Berkeley County9.4
14Spartanburg County9.4
15Anderson County9.2
16Florence County9
17Greenwood County8.9
18Sumter County8.9
19Horry County8.7
20Orangeburg County8.7
21Edgefield County8.2
22Kershaw County8.1
23McCormick County7.4
24Saluda County7.2
25Newberry County7.2
26Darlington County7
27Jasper County7
28Bamberg County6.8
29Cherokee County6.3
30Clarendon County6.2
31Colleton County6.1
32Lee County5.8
33Calhoun County5.8
34Laurens County5.7
35Williamsburg County5.7
36Abbeville County5.5
37Fairfield County5.2
38Marion County4.7
39Allendale County4.6
40Chesterfield County4.6
41Barnwell County4.5
42Chester County4.2
43Dillon County4
44Union County3.9
45Hampton County3.4
46Marlboro County3

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

A subset of bachelors_degree_share, which also counts people whose highest degree is a bachelor's.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_carolina_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in South Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Charleston County, with 17.8% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Marlboro County, with 3% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over: other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings