In 2007, the main street was widened, and a series of iron railings were added to the sidewalks on the street, as part of an improvement scheme for the area. The then County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director stated "It will be a major boost to the economy for the county and downtown Bamberg.”[8]Urbanist advocates, such as Strong Towns, later attributed the use of railings blocking pedestrian street crossings as the reason why a large number of businesses on the main street later went out of business.[9]
Several buildings on the main street were damaged by fire in 2019, and the city announced plans in 2021 to demolish these buildings and "revitalize" the area, adding green space and making the area more walkable.[10]
An EF2 tornado heavily damaged the downtown area of Bamberg on January 9, 2024.[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.34%, is water.[13]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,076 people, 1,311 households, and 684 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 3,733 people, 1,383 households, and 923 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,058.1 inhabitants per square mile (408.5/km2). There were 1,537 housing units at an average density of 435.6 per square mile (168.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 45.22% White, 53.58% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.48% of the population.
There were 1,383 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 25.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,736, and the median income for a family was $28,309. Males had a median income of $38,068 versus $20,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,512. About 21.4% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.2% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education in Bamberg is administered by Bamberg County School District, which has included all of the county since 2022.[15] The district operates Richard Carroll Elementary School, Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School and Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School.
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bamberg has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[26]
^National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina (2024). South Carolina Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
