Black Health Profile
Black health in South Carolina
1,355,140
Black residents (ACS)
26.00%
Of state population
South Carolina has 1.4 million Black residents (26% of the state). The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston is the state's academic medical center. South Carolina has not adopted Medicaid expansion.
The largest Black health disparity tracked on these pages varies by metric. Use the ten topic pages below to see each one cited against the state's primary-source dataset.
On the positive side, every US state now has CDC-funded maternal mortality review committees, and most have at least one HRSA-designated federally qualified health center serving low-income Black residents. The ten facet pages below point to state-specific programs and providers.
Key takeaways
- Black residents: 1,355,140 (26.0% of the state).
- Medicaid expansion not adopted — lowest-income adults without dependent children have no direct path to coverage.
- Medicaid does not cover doula services.
- Certified nurse-midwife scope-of-practice recognized by Medicaid.
- 12-month postpartum Medicaid extension active.
Health outcomes & coverage
Ten race-stratified indicators drawn from CDC, Census, KFF, and SAMHSA primary sources. Each page links the underlying dataset, compares to the national average, and frames the state-specific drivers and policy levers.
maternal mortality
Black women in South Carolina die from pregnancy-related causes at 54.2 per 100,000 live births — 2.9× the US national rate of 19.
Read the maternal mortality breakdown
infant mortality
Black infants in South Carolina die before age one at 13.3 per 1,000 live births — compared to the US all-race rate of 5.4.
Read the infant mortality breakdown
cardiovascular mortality
Age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality among Black residents of South Carolina: 376.2 deaths per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 I00-I99).
Read the cardiovascular mortality breakdown
diabetes prevalence
16.3% of Black adults in South Carolina have been diagnosed with diabetes — compared to the US all-race rate of 11.6%.
Read the diabetes prevalence breakdown
breast cancer mortality
Age-adjusted breast cancer mortality among Black women in South Carolina: 30.1 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C50).
Read the breast cancer mortality breakdown
prostate cancer mortality
Age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality among Black men in South Carolina: 43.2 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C61).
Read the prostate cancer mortality breakdown
life expectancy
Life expectancy at birth for Black residents of South Carolina: 72.1 years (US all-race: 77.5).
Read the life expectancy breakdown
uninsured rate
12.2% of Black residents of South Carolina have no health insurance coverage — vs. a US all-race uninsured rate of 8%.
Read the uninsured rate breakdown
Medicaid coverage
About 30% of Black residents of South Carolina receive Medicaid coverage. South Carolina is a Medicaid non-expansion state.
Read the Medicaid coverage breakdown
mental health access
59.4% of Black adults in South Carolina who experienced a past-year mental health need reported not receiving the treatment they needed (SA…
Read the mental health access breakdown
Policy context in South Carolina
South Carolina has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Low-income Black adults without dependent children earning above state Medicaid eligibility thresholds and below the ACA marketplace subsidy threshold fall into the coverage gap — uninsured by default. Medicaid does not currently cover doula services. Postpartum Medicaid coverage extends for 12 months after delivery, the federal recommended standard.
South Carolina has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Postpartum Medicaid was extended to 12 months effective April 2022. The state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee operates out of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Find Black health providers & resources in South Carolina
Counties in South Carolina
County-level Black Health profiles for the 2 South Carolina counties with the fullest race-stratified data and editorial coverage.
Data sources & refresh cadence
- US Census ACS 5-year 2019–2023, Table B02001 (race) & S1903 (income).
- CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death (D69) & Underlying Cause of Death (D76), 2018–2022 release.
- KFF Medicaid expansion and state coverage trackers, Q1 2026.
- SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2022 state annual.
- HRSA NHSC workforce data, 2024.
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