Beaufort County, South Carolina
Beaufort County (/ˈbjuːfərt/ BEW-fərt) is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 187,117. Its county seat is Beaufort and its largest community is Hilton Head Island.
Beaufort County | |
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The Arsenal in Beaufort Historic District | |
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Flag Seal | |
| Motto: "Heritage By The Sea" | |
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina | |
South Carolina's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32.36°N 80.69°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| Founded | 1800 |
| Named for | Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort |
| Seat | Beaufort |
| Largest community | Hilton Head Island |
| Area | |
| • Total | 923.48 sq mi (2,391.8 km2) |
| • Land | 576.04 sq mi (1,491.9 km2) |
| • Water | 347.44 sq mi (899.9 km2) 37.62% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 187,117 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 198,979 |
| • Density | 324.83/sq mi (125.42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Beaufort County is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of the South's fastest-growing counties, primarily because of development south of the Broad River clustered along the U.S. Highway 278 corridor. The county's northern portions have also grown steadily, due in part to the strong federal military presence around the city of Beaufort. The county's two portions are connected by the Broad River Bridge, which carries South Carolina Highway 170. Beaufort County has been identified as the most at-risk county in the contiguous United States for combined damage from climate change in the medium term, largely due to high wet-bulb temperatures, economic and farm crop damages, and sea level rise.