Jasper County Leads the Country in Housing Growth
By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer
South Carolina’s population has been increasing rapidly since 2020, primarily as a result of absorption of new residents from other states. [1] This influx has had a major impact on the state’s housing market. A growing population translates to a greater need for housing, and because building new units takes time and resources, growth often lags behind demand.
Many of South Carolina’s counties have met the new demand by maintaining or increasing their rate of housing growth. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the total number of housing units in South Carolina increased by 1.9 percent, or 47,524 new units, up from 1.7 percent the year before. Just two states exceeded this rate (in rank order, Idaho and Arizona), and only seven built more units (in rank order, Texas, Florida, California, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and New York). [2]
No county in the United States built houses faster than Jasper County, which took the top spot for housing growth. Jasper County built 1,407 units over the period, representing an 8.3 percent increase. If it maintains this rate through 2030, the county will have doubled its housing stock in less than a decade.
The graphic above shows housing unit growth rates in all of South Carolina’s counties. In addition to Jasper County, 14 others were in the top 1.0 percent of all counties in the country for housing growth. Horry, Berkeley, and Aiken Counties, which also made the top 100, all added housing units at a rate of at least 3.0 percent. While not every county in the state was able to match this pace, all recorded an increase in housing units.
Also shown in the graphic are the 15 fastest-growing cities in the state with a population of at least 5,000 people. Many of the counties with the highest housing growth rates were also home to the fastest-growing municipalities. Hardeeville, for example, located in Jasper County, recorded population growth of 16.1 percent. The population of Moncks Corner, in Berkeley County, grew at a rate of 11.5 percent. These data suggest that out-of-state movers are being drawn to smaller communities within larger metro areas.