Williston is a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,139 at the 2010 census.

The town lies in the center of the Charleston-Hamburg railroad line, the line of the Best Friend locomotive. The train tracks were removed in the 1990s, but the track site has been designated as historically significant by the South Carolina Department of Archives. This section of the train route is now part of the South Carolina Heritage Corridor.

Hometown of the Williston Elko Legends. The Williston Elko Legends are a group of alumni from Williston Elko High School who graduated in and around the 1990s. They have pledged to contribute to their hometown and society at large in positive ways.

The small-town community once had its own newspaper, The Williston Way, founded in 1921.

The Ashley-Willis House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Williston is located in northern Barnwell County at 33°24′02″N 81°25′21″W / 33.400553°N 81.422421°W / 33.400553; -81.422421. U.S. Route 78 passes through the center of the town, leading east 9 miles (14 km) to Blackville and northwest 21 miles (34 km) to Aiken.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Williston has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.3 km), of which 9.0 square miles (23.2 km) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km), or 0.70%, is water.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	426		—
1890	503		18.1%
1900	617		22.7%
1910	624		1.1%
1920	854		36.9%
1930	1,024		19.9%
1940	1,107		8.1%
1950	896		−19.1%
1960	2,722		203.8%
1970	2,594		−4.7%
1980	3,173		22.3%
1990	3,099		−2.3%
2000	3,307		6.7%
2010	3,139		−5.1%
2020	2,877		−8.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

Williston racial composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,192	41.43%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,485	51.62%
Native American	14	0.49%
Asian	8	0.28%
Pacific Islander	1	0.03%
Other/Mixed	111	3.86%
Hispanic or Latino	66	2.29%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,877 people, 1,296 households, and 607 families residing in the town.

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,307 people, 1,310 households, and 906 families residing in the town. The population density was 371.7 inhabitants per square mile (143.5/km). There were 1,460 housing units at an average density of 164.1 per square mile (63.4/km). The racial makeup of the town was 50.80% White, 47.51% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 1,310 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 24.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% 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 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,371, and the median income for a family was $30,990. Males had a median income of $27,829 versus $21,635 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,134. About 26.3% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 23.5% of those age 65 or over.

There are three schools in the town: Williston-Elko High School, Williston-Elko Middle School, and Kelly Edwards Elementary School. A private school in Blackville, Jefferson Davis Academy, also serves a portion of the town's population.

Williston has a public library, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System.

• Rafael Bush, National Football League (NFL) safety, Buffalo Bills
• Taylor Hearn, NFL Offensive Guard, Carolina Panthers
• Luke Clamp, 2019 National Principal of the Year, NASSP

• Town of Williston official website