Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanburg. Spartanburg County is the largest county within the Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.
In 2026, Spartanburg was ground zero for the largest measles outbreak since 2000, the year in which measles were declared eliminated in the United States. The county is characterized by low vaccination rates among children and extensive vaccine skepticism.
The county was founded in 1785 and was named after the Spartan Rifles (Spartan Regiment) which was a local militia during the American Revolutionary War. The largest community and the county seat is Spartanburg, which resides in Upstate South Carolina.
The ship is named after the county.
Spartanburg County was the center of the 2025-2026 South Carolina measles outbreak. By the end of January 2026, South Carolina exceeded any other state in terms of confirmed measles cases with over 990 cases mostly centered around Spartanburg County. The county was ground zero for the largest measles outbreak since 2000, the year that measles was declared eliminated in the United States. Spartanburg has been characterized by extensive vaccine skepticism and low vaccination rates; at one school, only 20 percent of students were vaccinated.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.39%) is water.
As of the 2020 census, there were 327,997 people, 125,836 households, and 83,432 families residing in the county.
The median age was 38.8 years, with 23.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.9% aged 65 years or older; for every 100 females there were 94.2 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.3 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 66.9% White, 19.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.6% from some other race, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.5% of the population.
70.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.5% lived in rural areas.
Of the 125,836 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 137,009 housing units, of which 8.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.6% were owner-occupied and 29.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
At the 2010 census, there were 284,307 people, 109,246 households, and 75,404 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 122,628 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 72.3% white, 20.6% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.6% were American, 10.5% were Irish, 9.6% were English, and 8.8% were German.
Of the 109,246 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 38.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,680 and the median income for a family was $53,149. Males had a median income of $41,445 versus $31,602 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,924. About 11.0% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Spartanburg County has long been a Republican stronghold, having not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1976. No Democrat has won 40% of the countyâÂÂs vote since 1980. In 2024 the county saw a strong rightward trend, with Donald Trump performing better than any Republican in the county since Reagan in 1984.
Spartanburg County County Council has seven members, six Republicans and one Democrat. A. Manning Lynch serves as the county council chairman, having been in that role since 2019. Meetings are usually in the middle of the month on the third week and take place at the Spartanburg County administration building in the county council chamber.
In 2022, the GDP was $19.5 billion (about $54,626 per capita), and the real GDP was $16.7 billion (about $46,895 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.
, some of the largest employers in the county include Adidas, BMW, Ingles, Michelin, Optum, QuikTrip, Sage Automotive Interiors, Siemens, and Walmart.
There are eight school districts which cover portions of the county. Seven of them are within the Spartanburg County School System.
Some of the districts share a vocational school, and also share the McCarthy Teszler School, a special education school.
South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind is in an unincorporated area in the county, near Spartanburg.
Spartanburg Day School, a private school, is in an unincorporated area.
Spartanburg County's healthcare is mainly provided by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. Spartanburg Regional is a public, not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system with several facilities in Spartanburg, including:
In early 2018, Spartanburg Regional began construction on an expansion of its Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute at Pelham location. The expansion is intended to provide cancer care for more patients along the border of Spartanburg and Greenville counties. The expansion of the building was completed and began accepting patients in March 2020.