Marlboro County is a county in South Carolina, United States, in the Pee Dee region along the North Carolina line. It had a population of 26,667 at the 2020 census and covers 479.87 square miles (1,242.9 km2) of land centred near 34°36′N 79°41′W.<\/p>\n
Bennettsville is the county seat, and its postal code is 29512. The county has one city, four towns, one census-designated place, and roughly two dozen smaller unincorporated communities and crossroads. It sits in the Eastern time zone and is part of the Bennettsville, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area.<\/p>\n
Marlboro County has six incorporated or census-recognized places — one city, four towns, and one CDP — plus a long list of rural crossroads and neighborhoods that carry local names but no municipal government. In the table, “CDP” marks a census-designated place and “Unincorp.” marks an unincorporated community with no separate population or ZIP data.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennettsville<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29512<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McColl<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29570<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Clio<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29525<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tatum<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29594<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blenheim<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29516<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wallace<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 29596<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Adamsville Crossroads<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Argyle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Boykin<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Breeden<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bristow<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brownsville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brutons Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Century Acres<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chavistown<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Country Club Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Drake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dunbar<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dundee Acres<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dyers Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Five Forks<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fletcher<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fulton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Genoa<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Grace Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hebron<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lake Terrace<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lakeside<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lester<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Madeline<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Marlboro<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McDonalds<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Monroe Crossroads<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Newtonville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Parnassus<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Quick Crossroads<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Red Bluff<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Salem<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Scott<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sunnybrook Heights<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe rural crossroads communities listed above do not have their own ZIP code; mail there is delivered through whichever of the six post office towns is closest.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nMarlboro County lies in the upper Pee Dee region of the South Carolina coastal plain, a flat to gently rolling landscape of pine forest and row-crop farmland. The Great Pee Dee River forms part of the county’s southeastern edge, and Crooked Creek and several smaller streams drain the interior. Of the county’s total area, 479.87 square miles are land and 5.59 square miles are water.<\/p>\n Marlboro County borders Richmond County and Scotland County, North Carolina to the north, Robeson County, North Carolina to the northeast, Dillon County, South Carolina to the east, Florence County and Darlington County, South Carolina to the south, Chesterfield County, South Carolina to the west, and Anson County, North Carolina to the northwest.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe county’s population was 26,667 at the 2020 census. Bennettsville, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by McColl. Census-era income figures for Marlboro County are dated and are not republished here; the South Carolina statewide median household income is $67,804 (2023 ACS), and Marlboro County’s own figure has historically run well below the state median. Population density works out to roughly 56 people per square mile.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nManufacturing is the single largest employment sector in Marlboro County, accounting for about 30 percent of jobs, alongside agriculture, government, and retail. Domtar operates a large paper mill in the county, and the federal Bureau of Prisons runs FCI Bennettsville, a major public-sector employer. Food Lion, Domino’s, and Walmart are among the larger retail employers. Cotton, soybeans, corn, and tobacco remain significant crops on the county’s farmland.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nMarlboro County was established on March 12, 1785, and was named for John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. Welsh settlers from Pennsylvania and Delaware founded the county’s first European settlement at Welsh Neck, on the Pee Dee River, beginning in 1737, making it one of the earliest inland settlements in the South Carolina backcountry.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nInterstate 95 clips the county’s eastern edge, and US Highways 1 and 15 run through Bennettsville, along with state routes 9, 34, 38, 79, 83, 177, 381, and 912.<\/p>\n
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