Colleton County is a county in South Carolina, United States, in the Lowcountry region about 48 miles west of Charleston. It had a population of 38,604 at the 2020 census, an estimated 39,382 by 2025, and covers 1,133.28 square miles (2,935.2 km2) centred near 32°50′N 80°40′W.
Walterboro is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 29488. The county holds 1 city, 5 incorporated towns, 2 census-designated places and 7 unincorporated communities. It runs on Eastern Time, and its FIPS code is 45029.
Towns & Villages in Colleton County
Colleton County has 15 named places confirmed on the Census Bureau’s roll: 6 incorporated city and towns, 2 census-designated places (CDPs), and 7 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. A much longer list of crossroads and landings — names like Bells Crossroads, Padgett Landing and Sniders Crossroads — circulates in older gazetteers, but the Census Bureau does not carry population or boundary data for them, so they are omitted here rather than listed without verified facts.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walterboro | City · seat | 5,544 | 29488 |
| Cottageville | Town | 701 | 29435 |
| Edisto Beach | Town | 1,033 | 29438 |
| Jacksonboro | CDP | 412 | 29452 |
| Smoaks | Town | 98 | 29481 |
| Williams | Town | 98 | 29493 |
| Islandton | CDP | 58 | 29929 |
| Lodge | Town | 82 | 29082 |
| Ashepoo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Canadys | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Pond | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hendersonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Neyles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Round O | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ruffin | Unincorp. | — | — |
South Carolina abolished civil townships in the 19th century, so places here are not grouped under any township — the county itself is the only civil subdivision below the state.
ZIP Codes
- 29488 — Walterboro (the county’s most populous ZIP, also covers most unincorporated land near the seat)
- 29435 — Cottageville
- 29438 — Edisto Beach
- 29452 — Jacksonboro
- 29481 — Smoaks
- 29493 — Williams
- 29929 — Islandton
- 29082 — Lodge
Ashepoo, Canadys, Green Pond, Hendersonville, Neyles, Round O and Ruffin have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code, most often Walterboro’s 29488.
Geography
Colleton County sits in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, a flat coastal-plain belt of pine forest, tidal marsh and blackwater rivers. Of the county’s 1,133.28 square miles, 1,056.50 are land and 76.78 are water, about 6.8 percent — high for an inland county, driven by the Ashepoo, Edisto, Salkehatchie and Combahee rivers and by the Intracoastal Waterway, which cuts through the county’s southeastern corner near Edisto Beach and the Atlantic coast. It is South Carolina’s fifth-largest county by land area and fourth-largest by total area.
Orangeburg County lies to the north, Dorchester County to the northeast, Charleston County to the east, Beaufort County to the south, Hampton and Allendale counties to the west, and Bamberg County to the northwest. Orangeburg County, Dorchester County, Charleston County, Beaufort County, Hampton County, Allendale County and Bamberg County all border Colleton directly.
Demographics
Colleton County had a population of 38,604 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 39,382 residents. Walterboro and Edisto Beach are the two largest incorporated places, though most residents live outside any town limit — about three-quarters of the county’s population is classified rural. Median household income runs $51,114, below South Carolina’s statewide 2023 figure of $67,804. Population density works out to roughly 37 people per square mile of land, thin even by Lowcountry standards.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing is the county’s largest employment sector at about 1,968 workers, followed by construction at 1,953 and health care and social assistance at 1,831. Named major employers include the Colleton County School District, Cracker Barrel, Food Lion and Walmart, all concentrated around Walterboro. Walterboro’s downtown, with buildings dating to 1820, has built a reputation as an antiquing destination that draws day-trippers from Charleston and Beaufort. The county produced about $1.1 billion in gross domestic product in 2022, roughly $29,203 per resident.
History
South Carolina first organized Colleton as one of its four original proprietary counties in 1682, named for Sir John Colleton, one of the province’s eight Lords Proprietors. That original county was dissolved and reconstituted more than once before the current Colleton County was established in 1800. Two later boundary changes shaped it further: Dorchester County split off in 1897, and in 1911 Colleton’s eastern portion was annexed into Charleston County. Edisto Beach itself was annexed from Charleston County into Colleton in 1975.
Walterboro, founded in 1783 as a summer retreat for planters escaping malaria in the lowlands, was named for brothers Paul and Jacob Walter. During the Second World War, Walterboro Army Airfield trained combat pilots from 1942 to 1945, and more than 500 Tuskegee Airmen trained there between April 1944 and October 1945.
Getting There
Interstate 95 crosses the county’s eastern side, with exits 53 and 57 serving Walterboro directly. US 15, US 17, US 21 and US 601 also run through the county, along with SC 61, 63, 64, 174, 212, 217, 303, 362, 641 and 651.
- Charleston — about 48 miles east
- Beaufort — about 33 miles south
- Orangeburg — about 42 miles north
- Savannah, Georgia — about 60 miles southwest
Charleston International Airport, roughly 35 miles east of Walterboro, is the nearest major commercial airport. Lowcountry Regional Airport, just outside Walterboro, handles general aviation traffic. The nearest Amtrak station is in Yemassee, in neighboring Hampton County, served by the Silver Meteor and Silver Star lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colleton County located?
It sits in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, about 48 miles west of Charleston, bordered by Orangeburg, Dorchester, Charleston, Beaufort, Hampton, Allendale and Bamberg counties.
What is the population of Colleton County?
38,604 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 39,382.
How big is Colleton County?
1,133.28 square miles (2,935.2 km2) in total, of which 1,056.50 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Colleton County?
Walterboro, founded in 1783, is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Colleton County?
Six incorporated places — Walterboro, Cottageville, Edisto Beach, Smoaks, Williams and Lodge — plus the CDPs of Jacksonboro and Islandton and seven unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Colleton County use?
29488 for Walterboro, 29435 for Cottageville, 29438 for Edisto Beach, 29452 for Jacksonboro, 29481 for Smoaks, 29493 for Williams, 29929 for Islandton and 29082 for Lodge.
What is Colleton County known for?
Walterboro’s antiquing district and its role training more than 500 Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War, plus Edisto Beach’s state park on the Atlantic coast.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Carolina.