Demographics:                                Population        Change from 2000 SC 2010 Census:                              4,626,364            15.3% Beaufort County 2010 Census:         162,233               34.1%

According to the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging: South Carolina has experienced a significant growth of seniors or mature adults over the last few decades. The baby boom has begun to have a dramatic impact and will continue to affect the nation and South Carolina’s communities and institutions over the next twenty years. The state’s population has grown from 286,272 persons aged 60 and over since 1970 to 651,482 in the year 2,000, a 128% increase in thirty years.             The population 60 years and over is projected to increase to 1,450,487 by the year 2030, a 123% increase from 2000. The US Census Bureau predicts the 65 and older population will grow from one in eight Americans today to one in six by 2020. The mature adult population will total 53.7 million, representing a 53.8 percent increase over today’s 34.9 million mature adults. Nationally, South Carolina ranks 29th with 12.60% of its population 65 and over. This population has increased from 40,000 (3% of the population) in 1900, to 485,333 in 2000 (12.25% of the total population) and is projected to reach 1,134,459 (22% of the population) in 2030. (SOUTH CAROLINA STATE PLAN 2009 – 2012, Effective Date: 10-01-2008 Chapter 5: Characteristics of the Older Population, 26)