Laurens, South Carolina

Geography Laurens is located at 34°30'3" North, 82°1'6" West (34.500717, -82.018271)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.4 km² (10.6 mi²). 27.4 km² (10.6 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 9,916 people, 3,952 households, and 2,596 families residing in the city. The population density is 361.5/km² (936.6/mi²). There are 4,396 housing units at an average density of 160.3/km² (415.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 53.72% White, 43.57% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,952 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% are married couples living together, 23.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% are non-families. 31.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 2.97.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 74.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $28,756, and the median income for a family is $36,656. Males have a median income of $28,149 versus $21,883 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,582. 17.7% of the population and 12.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.8% are under the age of 18 and 15.5% are 65 or older.