Even With Declining Population, County’s Housing Falls Short
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County is facing a shrinking population, aging housing stock, and a growing need for workforce housing, according to a 2024 Housing Study and Needs Analysis presented recently to Fairfield County Council by County Planner Joseph Toledo.
Toledo told council that the study, created by the MRB Group in 2024, was designed to “review the current housing conditions in the county, get a better understanding of what is needed and a view of what the future is going to look like regarding new housing construction and development within the county.”
“The overall purpose of this study is really to evaluate the housing market as it stood at that point in time within the county and to identify gaps and align housing policy with those gaps that are being seen in the community,” Toledo said. “And use that as a roadmap to provide actionable steps moving forward to drive our policy and things like the strategic plan and community development and planning and zoning.”
The Findings
One of the study’s most significant findings is that Fairfield County continues to lose population while surrounding areas experience growth.
“The biggest takeaway from the study is that while the overall Midlands is growing, and South Carolina is growing, Fairfield County is seeing a population decline — a rapid one at that,” Toledo said.
According to the study, Fairfield County lost nearly 15 percent of its population between 2010 and 2020. Toledo said census estimates project an additional 3 percent decline between 2020 and 2025, while neighboring counties such as Richland, Chester and Kershaw continue to gain residents.
“At the same time, our median age increased to 45, which is significantly older than surrounding counties in the region,” Toledo said.
He said Fairfield’s housing inventory does not match the needs of today’s residents or prospective newcomers.
“Our housing inventory is primarily made up of single-family detached homes,” Toledo said. “These are going to be on larger lots … and that really leads to a very limited diversity when it comes to housing options.”
The study found that much of the county’s existing housing stock is old, vacant or in poor condition.
“We have a relatively high vacancy rate in our housing,” Toledo said. “A lot of the housing is very old. It’s dilapidated or not in livable condition, and it was built decades ago.”
He also noted that construction and development in Fairfield County has not kept up with the pace that is needed.
The report also highlights economic pressures facing Fairfield County residents.
“Nearly half of renter households in Fairfield County are considered ‘cost burdened,’ meaning they spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing. Median renter income in the county is about $20,000 annually,” Toledo said.
“So really what that means is that while overall housing in the county is affordable, there are still a lot of residents that are struggling to make ends meet with housing demand and their requirements,” Toledo said.
Another major concern identified in the study is the lack of workforce housing for middle-income residents earning between $40,000 and $60,000 per year.
“That is an area that was identified in the housing study that we really have a big need in,” Toledo said. He said this is the “missing middle” of the county’s housing market.
To address those needs, the study recommends expanding housing choices to include townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and senior housing developments.
Toledo said the county’s RD-1 zoning district, which requires a one-acre minimum lot size, covers half the county and limits affordable development opportunities. Toledo said many people might not need or be able to afford a one-acre lot. He said one-acre lots cause growth to be more spread out and could eventually strain natural resources and infrastructure.
“Communities … are just getting wider and wider and spreading out, which over time compounded for decades of growth is going to lead to loss of natural resources,” he said.
Recommendations
Among the recommendations outlined in the study are zoning updates to allow higher-density housing, reducing barriers to development, creating incentives for targeted housing types, and identifying development-ready sites that can be marketed to builders.
The study also recommends establishing a county housing committee to help guide implementation of housing policies and align them with Fairfield County’s broader strategic plan.
“It helps to ensure coordination between housing, infrastructure, planning, land use policy, and overall economic development within the county,” Toledo said. “It’s all connected.”
Toledo also discussed possible beautification and rehabilitation programs aimed at improving older neighborhoods and historic properties. One idea would be to provide small grants to homeowners to improve blighted homes.
“There are also programs such as a grant program to give a thousand dollars to a property owner to paint the house and address some of those blighted issues,” he said.
He also pointed to the county’s recent adoption of the Bailey Bill, which offers tax incentives for rehabilitating historic properties.
“Having something like the Bailey Bill in place would help to drive development into older housing stock that could classify as historic,” Toledo said.
Council is expected to consider adoption of the housing study as part of the county’s long-term strategic planning process.