| Counties of South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Location | State of South Carolina |
| Number | 46 |
| Populations | 7,551 (Allendale) – 525,534 (Greenville) |
| Areas | 392 square miles (1,020 km2) (Calhoun) – 1,358 square miles (3,520 km2) (Charleston) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions |
|
TheU.S. state ofSouth Carolina is made up of 46counties, the maximum allowable by state law.[1][2] They range in size from 392 square miles (1,015 square kilometers) in the case ofCalhoun County to 1,358 square miles (3,517 square kilometers) in the case ofCharleston County. The least populous county isAllendale County, with only 7,551 residents, while the most populous county isGreenville County, with a population of 570,745, despite the state's most populous city,Charleston, being located inCharleston County.
In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided intoparishes corresponding to the parishes of theChurch of England. There were also several counties that had judicial and electoral functions. As people settled thebackcountry, judicial districts and additional counties were formed. This structure continued and grew after theRevolutionary War. In 1800, all counties were renamed as districts. In 1868, the districts were converted back to counties.[3] The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has maps that show the boundaries of counties, districts, and parishes starting in 1682.[4]
Historically, county government in South Carolina has been fairly weak.[5] The 1895 Constitution made no provision for local government, effectively reducing counties to creatures of the state. Each county's delegation to the General Assembly, comprising one senator and at least one representative, also doubled as its county council. Under this system, the state senator from each county wielded the most power.[6] From the eighteenth century to 1973, counties in South Carolina performed limited functions such as the provision of law enforcement and the construction of transportation infrastructure.[5]
In 1964, the United States Supreme Court caseReynolds v. Sims required reapportionment according to the principle of "one man, one vote", which resulted in legislative districts crossing county lines. However, it was not until 1973 that the constitution was amended to provide for limited home rule at the county level.[7] This was finally enacted in 1975 with the Home Rule Act,[6] which provided for elected councils in each county. Further, in 1989, all counties were given the authority to exercise broad police powers.[8] Thus, they may enact regulations and ordinances related to the provision or preservation of security, health, peace, and order, so long as the regulation is not inconsistent with state law.[9] Nonetheless, all counties and municipalities in South Carolina lack “fiscal home rule,” meaning they may only enact taxes authorized by the General Assembly.[6]
County ordinances become applicable within municipal boundaries when the municipality and the county make a formal agreement, and the municipality formally adopts the ordinance.[10] Unincorporated areas are governed by the county's land use plans.[11]
| County Name | Abbreviation[12] |
|---|---|
| Abbeville | AB |
| Aiken | AK |
| Allendale | AL |
| Anderson | AN |
| Bamberg | BA |
| Barnwell | BR |
| Beaufort | BU |
| Berkeley | BK |
| Calhoun | CL |
| Charleston | CH |
| Cherokee | CK |
| Chester | CS |
| Chesterfield | CT |
| Clarendon | CR |
| Colleton | CN |
| Darlington | DA |
| Dillon | DN |
| Dorchester | DR |
| Edgefield | ED |
| Fairfield | FA |
| Florence | FL |
| Georgetown | GE |
| Greenville | GVL |
| Greenwood | GN |
| Hampton | HA |
| Horry | HR |
| Jasper | JA |
| Kershaw | KE |
| Lancaster | LA |
| Laurens | LU |
| Lee | LE |
| Lexington | LX |
| Marion | MA |
| Marlboro | ML |
| McCormick | MC |
| Newberry | NB |
| Oconee | OC |
| Orangeburg | OR |
| Pickens | PN |
| Richland | RD |
| Saluda | SA |
| Spartanburg | SP |
| Sumter | SU |
| Union | UN |
| Williamsburg | WG |
| York | YK |
| County | FIPS code[13] | County seat[14] | Est.[14] | Origin[15] | Etymology | Population (2024)[16] | Area[17] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | 001 | Abbeville | 1785 | Ninety-Six District | Abbeville, France | 24,607 | 512 sq mi (1,326 km2) |  |
| Aiken County | 003 | Aiken | 1871 | Barnwell County,Edgefield County,Lexington County, andOrangeburg County | William Aiken, founder of theSouth Carolina Canal and Railroad Company | 179,245 | 1,080 sq mi (2,797 km2) |  |
| Allendale County | 005 | Allendale | 1919 | Barnwell County andHampton County | P.H. Allen, first postmaster of the new county | 7,551 | 412 sq mi (1,067 km2) |  |
| Anderson County | 007 | Anderson | 1826 | Pendleton District | Robert Anderson,American Revolutionary War general and Southern surveyor | 217,183 | 756 sq mi (1,958 km2) |  |
| Bamberg County | 009 | Bamberg | 1897 | Barnwell County | Francis Marion Bamberg (1838–1905), Confederate general in theAmerican Civil War | 12,870 | 396 sq mi (1,026 km2) |  |
| Barnwell County | 011 | Barnwell | 1798 | Orangeburg County | John Barnwell, South Carolina State Senator andprisoner of war during the American Revolution | 20,495 | 557 sq mi (1,443 km2) |  |
| Beaufort County | 013 | Beaufort | 1769 | 1769 Judicial District | Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, colonial proprietary landowner | 201,775 | 923 sq mi (2,391 km2) |  |
| Berkeley County | 015 | Moncks Corner | 1882 | Charleston County | William Berkeley, colonial proprietary governor and landowner | 264,276 | 1,234 sq mi (3,196 km2) |  |
| Calhoun County | 017 | St. Matthews | 1908 | Lexington County andOrangeburg County | John C. Calhoun,U.S. senator from South Carolina | 14,249 | 392 sq mi (1,015 km2) |  |
| Charleston County | 019 | Charleston | 1769 | 1769 Judicial District | KingCharles II of England | 431,001 | 1,358 sq mi (3,517 km2) |  |
| Cherokee County | 021 | Gaffney | 1897 | Spartanburg County,Union County, andYork County | Cherokee Native Americans | 57,770 | 397 sq mi (1,028 km2) |  |
| Chester County | 023 | Chester | 1785 | Camden District | Chester, Pennsylvania | 32,323 | 586 sq mi (1,518 km2) |  |
| Chesterfield County | 025 | Chesterfield | 1798 | Cheraws District | Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, an Enlightenment-era scholar, government official, and member of the BritishHouse of Lords | 44,488 | 806 sq mi (2,088 km2) |  |
| Clarendon County | 027 | Manning | 1855 | Sumter County | Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, colonial proprietary landowner | 31,030 | 696 sq mi (1,803 km2) |  |
| Colleton County | 029 | Walterboro | 1800 | Charleston County | John Colleton, colonial proprietary landowner | 39,259 | 1,133 sq mi (2,934 km2) |  |
| Darlington County | 031 | Darlington | 1785 | Cheraws District | Unknown; possiblyDarlington, England | 62,425 | 566 sq mi (1,466 km2) |  |
| Dillon County | 033 | Dillon | 1910 | Marion County | James William "J.W." Dillon (1826-1913), founder of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad | 27,577 | 407 sq mi (1,054 km2) |  |
| Dorchester County | 035 | St. George | 1897 | Berkeley County andColleton County | Dorchester, Massachusetts | 174,663 | 571 sq mi (1,479 km2) |  |
| Edgefield County | 037 | Edgefield | 1785 | Ninety-Six District | Disputed; either its location on the edge of the state orEdgefield, Norfolk,England | 29,455 | 507 sq mi (1,313 km2) |  |
| Fairfield County | 039 | Winnsboro | 1785 | Camden District | The county's fair fields, as described by colonial GovernorCharles Cornwallis | 20,369 | 710 sq mi (1,839 km2) |  |
| Florence County | 041 | Florence | 1888 | Clarendon County,Darlington County,Marion County, andWilliamsburg County | Florence Harllee (1848-1927), daughter ofWilmington and Manchester Railroad founder W.W. Harllee | 138,049 | 804 sq mi (2,082 km2) |  |
| Georgetown County | 043 | Georgetown | 1769 | 1769 Judicial District | George III of the United Kingdom[18] | 66,035 | 1,035 sq mi (2,681 km2) |  |
| Greenville County | 045 | Greenville | 1786 | Washington District | Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War general | 570,745 | 796 sq mi (2,062 km2) |  |
| Greenwood County | 047 | Greenwood | 1897 | Abbeville County andEdgefield County | Greenwood Plantation, the home of John McGee, the county's largest landowner | 70,041 | 464 sq mi (1,202 km2) |  |
| Hampton County | 049 | Hampton | 1878 | Beaufort County | Wade Hampton III, lieutenant general and cavalry leader in theConfederate States Army and latergovernor of South Carolina and U.S. senator | 18,172 | 563 sq mi (1,458 km2) |  |
| Horry County | 051 | Conway | 1801 | Georgetown County | Peter Horry, Revolutionary War general | 413,391 | 1,255 sq mi (3,250 km2) |  |
| Jasper County | 053 | Ridgeland | 1912 | Beaufort County andHampton County | William Jasper, Revolutionary War sergeant | 35,618 | 702 sq mi (1,818 km2) |  |
| Kershaw County | 055 | Camden | 1798 | Claremont County,Fairfield County,Lancaster County, andRichland | Joseph Kershaw, one of the county's pioneering settlers | 71,698 | 740 sq mi (1,917 km2) |  |
| Lancaster County | 057 | Lancaster | 1798 | Camden District | Lancaster, England, and theHouse of Lancaster[19] | 111,652 | 555 sq mi (1,437 km2) |  |
| Laurens County | 059 | Laurens | 1785 | Ninety-Six District | Henry Laurens, president of theSecond Continental Congress and prisoner of war during the American Revolution | 70,545 | 724 sq mi (1,875 km2) |  |
| Lee County | 061 | Bishopville | 1902 | Darlington County,Kershaw County, andSumter County | Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the Civil War | 15,958 | 411 sq mi (1,064 km2) |  |
| Lexington County | 063 | Lexington | 1804 | Orangeburg County | Battle of Lexington, opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War | 313,774 | 758 sq mi (1,963 km2) |  |
| Marion County | 067 | Marion | 1800 | Georgetown County | Francis Marion, Revolutionary War general | 28,368 | 494 sq mi (1,279 km2) |  |
| Marlboro County | 069 | Bennettsville | 1785 | Cheraws District | John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general, diplomat, and confidant of monarchs | 25,498 | 486 sq mi (1,259 km2) |  |
| McCormick County | 065 | McCormick | 1914 | Abbeville County,Edgefield County, andGreenwood County | Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the mechanicalreaper and founder ofInternational Harvester | 9,983 | 394 sq mi (1,020 km2) |  |
| Newberry County | 071 | Newberry | 1785 | Ninety-Six District | Disputed; possiblyNewbury, Berkshire, England, or from early settlers' notion that the landscape was as "pretty as a new berry" | 39,203 | 647 sq mi (1,676 km2) |  |
| Oconee County | 073 | Walhalla | 1868 | Pickens County | Oconee Native Americans | 82,475 | 674 sq mi (1,746 km2) |  |
| Orangeburg County | 075 | Orangeburg | 1769 | 1769 Judicial District | PrinceWilliam V of Orange | 83,129 | 1,128 sq mi (2,922 km2) |  |
| Pickens County | 077 | Pickens | 1826 | Pendleton District | Andrew Pickens, governor of South Carolina | 138,207 | 513 sq mi (1,329 km2) |  |
| Richland County | 079 | Columbia | 1799 | Camden District | The county's rich soil | 430,651 | 772 sq mi (1,999 km2) |  |
| Saluda County | 081 | Saluda | 1896 | Edgefield County | Saluda River | 19,452 | 462 sq mi (1,197 km2) |  |
| Spartanburg County | 083 | Spartanburg | 1785 | Ninety-Six District | "Spartan Regiment" of the state militia, which was the key force for victory in the Revolutionary WarBattle of Cowpens | 369,256 | 820 sq mi (2,124 km2) |  |
| Sumter County | 085 | Sumter | 1798 | Claremont County,Clarendon County, andSalem County | Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War general and U.S. senator from South Carolina | 104,776 | 682 sq mi (1,766 km2) |  |
| Union County | 087 | Union | 1798 | Ninety-Six District | Union Church, the first Christian place of worship in the area | 26,678 | 515 sq mi (1,334 km2) |  |
| Williamsburg County | 089 | Kingstree | 1802 | Georgetown District | KingWilliam III of England | 29,865 | 937 sq mi (2,427 km2) |  |
| York County | 091 | York | 1798 | Camden District | York County, Pennsylvania | 303,001 | 696 sq mi (1,803 km2) |  |
Until the late 19th century, theSouth Carolina Lowcountry was divided into parishes which in turn were subdivided several "districts"; these civil parishes were based on and generally coincident (even well afterdisestablishment) with Anglican ecclesiastical parishes.[20]
