Chapter ED Intelligence · Chapter Report
ARC of Central South Carolina
Southeast and Caribbean Division · South Carolina Region
SC · 16 counties · HQ Columbia, SC · FEMA Region IV
1,365,816
People
551,059
Households
44.9%
Households below the ALICE survival threshold
16
Counties · 10,351 sq mi
Nearly 45% of households across this chapter live below the ALICE survival threshold — the working families one disaster away from crisis.
In this report · Economic vulnerability · Who lives here · Home fire mission (FLARE) · mission delivery & the bespoke relationship strategy to follow
Sources: American Red Cross geography + 2023 demographics reference table; United Way ALICE + poverty (latest county year).
Geography & Footprint
The chapter's footprint.
16
Counties
10,351
Square miles
1,365,816
People
South Carolina Region
Southeast and Caribbean Division
| County | People | Sq mi | % of chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | 427,401 | 772 | 31.3% |
| Lexington | 306,105 | 758 | 22.4% |
| Aiken | 173,221 | 1,081 | 12.7% |
| Sumter | 105,215 | 682 | 7.7% |
| Orangeburg | 82,262 | 1,128 | 6.0% |
| Kershaw | 66,787 | 740 | 4.9% |
| Newberry | 37,968 | 647 | 2.8% |
| Clarendon | 30,651 | 696 | 2.2% |
| Edgefield | 26,255 | 507 | 1.9% |
| Fairfield | 20,376 | 710 | 1.5% |
| Barnwell | 20,191 | 557 | 1.5% |
| Saluda | 18,646 | 462 | 1.4% |
| Lee | 16,087 | 411 | 1.2% |
| Calhoun | 13,979 | 392 | 1.0% |
| Bamberg | 12,894 | 396 | 0.9% |
| Allendale | 7,778 | 412 | 0.6% |
HQ: Columbia, SC · FEMA Region IV. Counties sorted by population.
Who Lives Here
The people of this chapter.
39
Median age
$55,116
Median household income
16.4%
Age 65+
29.7%
Renter households
Age distribution
Race & ethnicity
Hispanic / Latino (any race): 6.5% of residents.
Source: American Red Cross 2023 demographics reference table. Chapter figures aggregate the 16 counties; median age and income are population-weighted.
Economic Vulnerability
Where the need is greatest.
| County | People | Median HH income | ALICE | Poverty | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamberg | 12,894 | $40,040 | 36.4% | 26.2% | 62.6% |
| Allendale | 7,778 | $37,219 | 30.9% | 30.8% | 61.7% |
| Lee | 16,087 | $39,311 | 36.1% | 22.0% | 58.1% |
| Fairfield | 20,376 | $41,481 | 39.4% | 17.8% | 57.2% |
| Barnwell | 20,191 | $42,489 | 27.1% | 28.0% | 55.1% |
| Clarendon | 30,651 | $44,043 | 33.4% | 20.2% | 53.7% |
| Saluda | 18,646 | $46,638 | 32.2% | 20.0% | 52.2% |
| Sumter | 105,215 | $46,001 | 31.7% | 19.6% | 51.2% |
| Orangeburg | 82,262 | $36,709 | 24.6% | 22.9% | 47.5% |
| Richland | 427,401 | $57,845 | 31.3% | 15.9% | 47.2% |
| Calhoun | 13,979 | $49,808 | 29.7% | 17.4% | 47.1% |
| Edgefield | 26,255 | $55,996 | 29.0% | 17.5% | 46.5% |
| Newberry | 37,968 | $54,539 | 30.1% | 13.8% | 43.8% |
| Kershaw | 66,787 | $50,618 | 28.9% | 14.6% | 43.5% |
| + 2 more counties — full table in the county appendix | |||||
Combined = households in poverty plus ALICE households (above poverty, below the cost of basics), as a share of all county households. Source: United Way ALICE, latest county year.
Risk & Disaster History
What this chapter is up against.
$504.5M
Expected annual loss, all hazards
Richland
Highest-risk county
82.2%
Avg social vulnerability (SVI)
9
FEMA declarations, 5 yr (top county)
| County | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | SVI %ile | FEMA 5yr | FEMA all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | Relatively Moderate | $137.8M | 79.2% | 7 | 26 |
| Lexington | Relatively Moderate | $108.2M | 48.5% | 7 | 25 |
| Aiken | Relatively Moderate | $47.5M | 63.2% | 7 | 24 |
| Orangeburg | Relatively Moderate | $44.3M | 95.2% | 9 | 31 |
| Sumter | Relatively Moderate | $40.7M | 87.6% | 6 | 28 |
| Kershaw | Relatively Low | $23.5M | 47.8% | 7 | 28 |
| Clarendon | Relatively Low | $23.4M | 96.9% | 6 | 26 |
| Newberry | Relatively Low | $17.3M | 80.3% | 7 | 24 |
| Bamberg | Relatively Low | $9.3M | 95.8% | 9 | 28 |
| Fairfield | Very Low | $8.5M | 88.9% | 7 | 23 |
| Barnwell | Relatively Low | $8.4M | 96.1% | 8 | 27 |
| Saluda | Very Low | $8.2M | 82.3% | 7 | 22 |
| Lee | Very Low | $7.6M | 97.0% | 6 | 25 |
| Allendale | Very Low | $7.1M | 99.6% | 7 | 25 |
| + 2 more counties — full table in the county appendix | |||||
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index 2025 (risk rating, expected annual loss), CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022 (social-vulnerability percentile), FEMA disaster declarations — via the Red Cross national county database.
Disaster History
A chapter shaped by disaster.
35
Federal disaster declarations
17
Hurricanes
Hurricane
Most common type
2026
Most recent
By incident type
Most recent declarations
| FY | Disaster | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm |
| 2025 | Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood |
| 2024 | Hurricane Helene | Hurricane |
| 2024 | Tropical Storm Debby | Tropical Storm |
| 2024 | Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm |
| 2024 | Hurricane Debby | Tropical Storm |
| 2023 | Hurricane Idalia | Hurricane |
| 2023 | Hurricane Ian | Hurricane |
| 2022 | Hurricane Ian | Hurricane |
| 2020 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds | Severe Storm |
Source: FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — county-level, deduplicated to unique disasters.
Home Fire Mission · FLARE 2024
Every home fire is a Red Cross moment.
890
Home fires (2024)
47.0%
Red Cross care rate
380
Fires with no Red Cross notification
6.5
Fires per 10,000 residents
Red Cross cared for 47% of home fires — but 380 (43%) happened with no Red Cross notification: the prevention, smoke-alarm, and response opportunity, county by county.
Source: FLARE Fire Incidents 2024 (American Red Cross, public layer). “With care” = Red Cross provided assistance; “no notification” = the Red Cross was never alerted to the fire.
Home Fire · Respond & Prevent
Red Cross shows up — and prevents.
7,926
Home-fire calls answered (RC response)
7,272
Single-family fire responses
9,092
Free smoke alarms installed
650
Multi-family fire responses
Red Cross answered 7,926 home-fire calls and installed 9,092 free smoke alarms across the chapter — response and prevention, county by county.
Sources: DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (RC fire responses); Smoke Alarm Installs FY15–FY24 (American Red Cross).
Blood & BioMed
The blood mission's local footprint.
71,220
Blood units collected (FY22–26)
3,353
Blood drives held
466
Drives in FY2026
16
Counties with drives
Blood drives are active in 16 of the chapter's 16 counties — every county without one is an employer or civic opening: a host site, a sponsored drive, a standing partnership.
Source: BioMed Collections FY22–FY26 (American Red Cross). Drives = collection events; units = products collected.
Red Cross Facilities
The chapter's physical footprint.
6
Red Cross facilities
2
Owned
4
Leased / licensed
1
BioMed sites
By type / function
BioMed facilities
Columbia SC Blood Donation CenterPlatelets & Red Cells
Sources: Red Cross real-estate portfolio (reintel.jbf.com) + BioMed facilities (biomed.jbf.com).
Locations, types and functions only — no cost, square footage, or lease terms are disclosed.
Red Cross Philanthropy · Major Donors
Who gives here.
Major-donor giving across the chapter — three fiscal years. Internal planning data.
$1,743,734
Total giving, 3-year
58
Major donors
$137,518
Current FY · ▼ 88% vs prior FY
$846,663
Top: Richland
| County | Major donors | Total giving, 3-year |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | 27 | $846,663 |
| Lexington | 14 | $434,628 |
| Aiken | 5 | $161,224 |
| Sumter | 3 | $154,868 |
| Lee | 1 | $65,000 |
| Kershaw | 2 | $23,550 |
| Orangeburg | 2 | $19,550 |
| Fairfield | 2 | $15,000 |
| Allendale | 1 | $12,750 |
| Edgefield | 1 | $10,500 |
Source: Red Cross major-donor giving by county, three fiscal years.
Internal / executive-director planning use — not donor-facing.
County Deep Dive
Richland County
427,401
People
$57,845
Median HH income
47.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age35.4
ALICE households53,086
Poverty households27,054
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$137.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)79.2%
FEMA declarations (all time)26
Home fires, CY2024185
Fires, no RC notification73
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$846,663
Richland County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Lexington County
306,105
People
$64,994
Median HH income
37.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age40.3
ALICE households32,299
Poverty households15,231
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$108.2M
Social vulnerability (SVI)48.5%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY2024155
Fires, no RC notification83
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$434,628
Lexington County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Aiken County
173,221
People
$56,703
Median HH income
40.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.3
ALICE households17,580
Poverty households10,895
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$47.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)63.2%
FEMA declarations (all time)24
Home fires, CY2024110
Fires, no RC notification50
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$161,224
Aiken County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Sumter County
105,215
People
$46,001
Median HH income
51.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age38.4
ALICE households12,692
Poverty households7,836
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$40.7M
Social vulnerability (SVI)87.6%
FEMA declarations (all time)28
Home fires, CY2024106
Fires, no RC notification39
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$154,868
Sumter County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Orangeburg County
82,262
People
$36,709
Median HH income
47.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age39.8
ALICE households8,407
Poverty households7,808
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$44.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)95.2%
FEMA declarations (all time)31
Home fires, CY2024106
Fires, no RC notification42
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$19,550
Orangeburg County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Kershaw County
66,787
People
$50,618
Median HH income
43.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.4
ALICE households7,479
Poverty households3,784
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$23.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)47.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)28
Home fires, CY202447
Fires, no RC notification23
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$23,550
Kershaw County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Newberry County
37,968
People
$54,539
Median HH income
43.8%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.2
ALICE households4,578
Poverty households2,093
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$17.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)80.3%
FEMA declarations (all time)24
Home fires, CY202424
Fires, no RC notification8
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Newberry County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Clarendon County
30,651
People
$44,043
Median HH income
53.7%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age45.5
ALICE households3,996
Poverty households2,417
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$23.4M
Social vulnerability (SVI)96.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)26
Home fires, CY202430
Fires, no RC notification11
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Clarendon County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Edgefield County
26,255
People
$55,996
Median HH income
46.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.1
ALICE households2,760
Poverty households1,664
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$6.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)84.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)22
Home fires, CY202424
Fires, no RC notification6
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$10,500
Edgefield County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Fairfield County
20,376
People
$41,481
Median HH income
57.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age45.6
ALICE households3,453
Poverty households1,565
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$8.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)88.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)23
Home fires, CY202416
Fires, no RC notification6
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$15,000
Fairfield County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Barnwell County
20,191
People
$42,489
Median HH income
55.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.2
ALICE households2,198
Poverty households2,272
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$8.4M
Social vulnerability (SVI)96.1%
FEMA declarations (all time)27
Home fires, CY202416
Fires, no RC notification9
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Barnwell County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Saluda County
18,646
People
$46,638
Median HH income
52.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.6
ALICE households2,417
Poverty households1,499
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$8.2M
Social vulnerability (SVI)82.3%
FEMA declarations (all time)22
Home fires, CY202410
Fires, no RC notification3
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Saluda County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Lee County
16,087
People
$39,311
Median HH income
58.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.5
ALICE households2,272
Poverty households1,385
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$7.6M
Social vulnerability (SVI)97.0%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY202413
Fires, no RC notification7
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$65,000
Lee County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Calhoun County
13,979
People
$49,808
Median HH income
47.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age45.3
ALICE households1,820
Poverty households1,064
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$6.1M
Social vulnerability (SVI)72.7%
FEMA declarations (all time)30
Home fires, CY202410
Fires, no RC notification3
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Calhoun County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Bamberg County
12,894
People
$40,040
Median HH income
62.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.9
ALICE households1,671
Poverty households1,203
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$9.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)95.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)28
Home fires, CY202424
Fires, no RC notification14
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Bamberg County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Allendale County
7,778
People
$37,219
Median HH income
61.7%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age40.8
ALICE households978
Poverty households974
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$7.1M
Social vulnerability (SVI)99.6%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY202414
Fires, no RC notification3
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$12,750
Allendale County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
Your Live Tools
The chapter's Experience Builder apps & federal tools.
Red Cross Intelligence Briefing
Chapter risk, hardship, hazards & county drilldowns
experience.arcgis.com
Disaster Response Intelligence
Spatial disaster-response intelligence
Experience Builder app
Red Cross Real Estate
Facilities & market intelligence
experience.arcgis.com
Service Area Planning
Service-area geography & planning
Experience Builder app
Community Mobilization V
Local resource & mobilization map
experience.arcgis.com
Biomed
Blood & BioMed footprint
experience.arcgis.com
FEMA RAPT
Resilience analysis & planning
www.fema.gov
Census Community Resilience
People & resilience context
www.census.gov
Red Cross Experience Builder apps give the live, drill-down companion to this report; federal tools add official context.
Sources & Methodology
Every number, traceable.
Tools produce facts; humans own decisions. Each figure in this report traces to a named source and vintage.
| Metric | Source | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| geography + 2023 demographics | ALICE master / Red Cross reference table | 2023 |
| ALICE + poverty households | MASTER counties ALICE+demographics | 2023 |
| flare | flare_fire_incidents (public AGOL, CY24) | CY2024 |
| smoke_alarms | GIS_MAP_FY15_to_FY24 (AGOL item b09f21d9…) | FY15–24 |
| lives_saved | Lives_Saved_Map_30_Apr_2026 (AGOL item ff313330…) | 2026 |
| blood | Biomed Collections 22-26 by chapter/county | FY22–26 |
| risk + disaster history | FEMA NRI 2025 · CDC SVI 2022 · FEMA declarations (red-cross-data county master) | FEMA NRI 2025 · SVI 2022 |
| fema disaster history | FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 | 2026 |
| facilities / real estate (no costs) | Red Cross facilities portfolio — reintel.jbf.com (locations, types & ownership only; no cost/lease terms) | FY25 |
| home-fire RC responses (SFF/MFF) | DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (org AGOL) | FY24–26 |
Geography: American Red Cross chapter↔county reference. The full machine-readable source ledger ships with the data bundle.
Appendix · County Data
Full county table.
| County | Pop | Households | Hardship | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | Fires '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | 427,401 | 171,672 | 47.2% | Relatively Moderate | $137.8M | 185 |
| Lexington | 306,105 | 122,027 | 37.6% | Relatively Moderate | $108.2M | 155 |
| Aiken | 173,221 | 71,883 | 40.2% | Relatively Moderate | $47.5M | 110 |
| Sumter | 105,215 | 42,197 | 51.2% | Relatively Moderate | $40.7M | 106 |
| Orangeburg | 82,262 | 33,316 | 47.5% | Relatively Moderate | $44.3M | 106 |
| Kershaw | 66,787 | 26,583 | 43.5% | Relatively Low | $23.5M | 47 |
| Newberry | 37,968 | 15,256 | 43.8% | Relatively Low | $17.3M | 24 |
| Clarendon | 30,651 | 12,512 | 53.7% | Relatively Low | $23.4M | 30 |
| Edgefield | 26,255 | 9,835 | 46.5% | Very Low | $6.8M | 24 |
| Fairfield | 20,376 | 9,003 | 57.2% | Very Low | $8.5M | 16 |
| Barnwell | 20,191 | 8,352 | 55.1% | Relatively Low | $8.4M | 16 |
| Saluda | 18,646 | 7,524 | 52.2% | Very Low | $8.2M | 10 |
| Lee | 16,087 | 6,415 | 58.1% | Very Low | $7.6M | 13 |
| Calhoun | 13,979 | 5,974 | 47.1% | Very Low | $6.1M | 10 |
| Bamberg | 12,894 | 5,258 | 62.6% | Relatively Low | $9.3M | 24 |
| Allendale | 7,778 | 3,252 | 61.7% | Very Low | $7.1M | 14 |
One row per county. Combined hardship = poverty + ALICE households. Fires = FLARE CY2024.