Named for Revolutionary War leader Robert Anderson, the county is located in northwestern South Carolina, along the Georgia border. Anderson County contains 55,950-acre (226 km) Lake Hartwell, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake with nearly 1,000 miles (2,000 km) of shoreline for residential and recreational use. The area is a growing industrial, commercial and tourist center.
As of the census of 2000, there were 165,740 people, 65,649 households, and 47,276 families residing in the county. The population density was 231 people per square mile (89/km²). There were 73,213 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.56% White, 16.59% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26.9% were of American, 10.6% Irish, 10.5% English and 7.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 65,649 households out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 45 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,807, and the median income for a family was $44,229. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $23,834 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,365. About 9.10% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.