FACTBOX: South Carolina voting is first in South

(Reuters) - Voters in South Carolina are casting ballots in a Democratic primary on Saturday, a week after the state's Republicans went to the polls to pick a candidate for November's U.S. presidential election.

Here are some facts about the state, the first in the South to hold a nominating contest.

* South Carolina is the nation's 11th fastest-growing state. Its population grew 9.9 percent to 4.4 million between 2000 and 2007. The U.S. population grew by 7.2 percent during that same period.

* South Carolina has a higher percentage of blacks (29 percent), a lower percentage of Hispanics (3.5 percent) and a lower percentage of foreign-born residents (4.1 percent) than the nation as a whole, according to Census Bureau statistics.

* South Carolina is bleeding manufacturing jobs, especially due to competition from low-cost imports from China. The continuing losses pushed the state's jobless rate to 5.8 percent in December, compared with a national average of 5 percent, according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

* South Carolina's beach areas depend heavily on tourism, where jobs tend to be low-paying, so raising the minimum wage is a big issue.

* The military is also a significant employer. The state is home to 15 major military installations and has a substantial veteran population.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards won the Democratic primary in South Carolina, where he was born, during his unsuccessful 2004 presidential bid. Recent polls have shown him running third to rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as this year's Democratic contest approaches.

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)