Abbeville County included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area, known colloquially as the Upstate or the Upcountry.

[5] Abbeville County was settled by mostly Scotch Irish and French-Huguenot farmers in the mid-18th century.

22.1% were of American, 9.7% Irish, 6.7% English, 5.5% German and 5.3% Scotch-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

William C. Norris is the chairman of the Abbeville County Council, who also represents district 4.

[29] The other members and their districts are as following: In 2013, long-time Abbeville County Sheriff Charles Goodwin pled guilty to misconduct in office.

He was put on probation for five years, sentenced to 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $4,500 in restitution.

[30] Abbeville County was a typical "Solid South" county in its voting patterns until 1948 when it voted for Dixiecrat candidate and South Carolina native Strom Thurmond against Democratic candidate Harry Truman regarding his support for Civil Rights, most importantly racial integration.

In 1972 the county voted overwhelmingly for Richard Nixon, and since then Abbeville has showed strong endorsement towards the Republican Party.

In 1999, Abbeville County had the highest level of economic development and job creation per capita in all of South Carolina.

[32] Factors contributing to Abbeville's economic growth include some of the lowest electricity operating costs in South Carolina and the broader southeastern region of the United States, right-to-work laws forcing the cost of labor down, and direct workforce training through the Piedmont Technical College.

[37] According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Abbeville has 417 employment establishments (private and public organizations covered by unemployment insurance).

[38] As of Q3 2023, some of the top 20 employers in the state include the city of Abbeville, Erskine College, Hardee's, Ingles, Prysmian Group, Sage Automotive Interiors, and Wayfair.