South Carolina’s foreign-born population, both documented and undocumented immigrants, reached record numbers at the start of 2025, according to a recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

In a separate analysis, a CIS researcher also reports a dramatic and alarming decline in the number of working-age men, both Black and White, who are not in the state’s workforce.

South Carolina is among 14 states experiencing historic population growth among people born outside of the United States, said Steven Camarota, CIS’s director of research.

The state’s foreign-born community of 46,620 people in 1980 rose to 450,446 new residents in 2025 — a 909% increase, according to the report that was released this summer. The current foreign-born population is 8.3% of the state’s popula

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