South Carolina County Map: All 46 Counties
South Carolina is partitioned into 46 counties governed under Article VIII of the 1895 South Carolina Constitution. Prior to 1975, South Carolina counties were uniquely ruled by their local state legislative delegations ("Senatorial rule"); today, under the historic Home Rule Act of 1975, counties choose from four modern council models to manage local growth from the Blue Ridge Upstate to the Atlantic Lowcountry.
South Carolina at a Glance
South Carolina County Map
Counties of South Carolina with the state capital, Columbia, marked. Hover a shape for its name or click it to jump to its row in the list below.
Printable Blank Map of South Carolina with All Counties
Download the South Carolina outline as SVG or PNG, or print it to PDF, in several variants: blank boundary, with counties lines, color-filled and labeled. Free to use (CC0).
How Local Government Operates in South Carolina: Home Rule Act of 1975 (Council-Administrator / Council-Manager)
Under the Home Rule Act of 1975, counties operate under one of four statutory forms: Council-Administrator (34 counties, where a professional administrator runs daily operations), Council-Manager, Council-Supervisor (elected chair), or Board of Commissioners.
The Home Rule Act of 1975 & The End of Legislative Senatorial Rule
Until the mid-1970s, South Carolina possessed the most centralized, legislature-dominated county governance in the nation.
Under the 1895 constitution, each county elected one state senator. These state senators, along with house members from the county delegation, formed the County Legislative Delegation, which met annually in Columbia to literally write and pass the county budget, set local property taxes, and appoint county road supervisors.
Following federal "one-person, one-vote" court decisions (Reynolds v. Sims) and the 1973 ratification of an updated Article VIII of the state constitution, the General Assembly enacted Act 283 of 1975—the landmark Home Rule Act.
The Home Rule Act stripped state legislators of local administrative power and required all 46 counties to adopt one of four council forms. Thirty-four counties chose the Council-Administrator form, establishing professional executive management over county road infrastructure, planning commissions, and regional detention centers.
Title 4 of the South Carolina Code of Laws codifies the Home Rule Act, prohibiting state legislative delegations from interfering with county council budget appropriations and personnel management.
The Upstate, Midlands & Lowcountry: Three Economic Dynasties
South Carolina's 46 counties trace the historic transition from colonial rice plantations to advanced manufacturing.
The Lowcountry (Charleston, Beaufort, Georgetown, Horry, Dorchester, Berkeley) features barrier islands, tidal marshes, and historic deepwater ports. Charleston County anchors Boeing's commercial aircraft assembly and expanding maritime container terminals, while Horry County (Myrtle Beach) leads the state in hospitality tourism.
The Midlands (Richland, Lexington, Aiken, Kershaw) centers on Columbia, housing the state capital, the University of South Carolina, and the Savannah River Site nuclear technology complex in Aiken County.
The Upstate (Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens) transformed from nineteenth-century textile mills into an international manufacturing hub anchored by BMW's largest North American assembly plant in Spartanburg and Michelin North America headquarters in Greenville.
Article VII of the South Carolina Constitution imposes strict geographic and population hurdles for creating new counties, permanently locking the total number at 46 since Allendale County was carved out in 1919.
South Carolina County Rankings: Population & Land Area
Comparative demographic and territorial distribution across South Carolina's largest administrative subdivisions based on the 2020 US Census Decennial count.
Top 10 Most Populous Counties
| # | County | Seat | Population | % State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville County | Greenville | 525,543 | 10.3% |
| 2 | Richland County | Columbia | 416,147 | 8.1% |
| 3 | Charleston County | Charleston | 408,481 | 8.0% |
| 4 | Horry County | Conway | 351,032 | 6.9% |
| 5 | Spartanburg County | Spartanburg | 327,992 | 6.4% |
| 6 | Lexington County | Lexington | 293,977 | 5.7% |
| 7 | York County | York | 282,089 | 5.5% |
| 8 | Berkeley County | Moncks Corner | 229,826 | 4.5% |
| 9 | Anderson County | Anderson | 203,724 | 4.0% |
| 10 | Beaufort County | Beaufort | 187,106 | 3.7% |
Top 10 Largest Counties by Land Area
| # | County | Seat | Land Area | % State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horry County | Conway | 1,133.3 sq mi | 3.8% |
| 2 | Orangeburg County | Orangeburg | 1,106.4 sq mi | 3.7% |
| 3 | Berkeley County | Moncks Corner | 1,103.6 sq mi | 3.7% |
| 4 | Aiken County | Aiken | 1,070.7 sq mi | 3.6% |
| 5 | Colleton County | Walterboro | 1,056.5 sq mi | 3.5% |
| 6 | Williamsburg County | Kingstree | 934.2 sq mi | 3.1% |
| 7 | Charleston County | Charleston | 918 sq mi | 3.1% |
| 8 | Georgetown County | Georgetown | 813.6 sq mi | 2.7% |
| 9 | Spartanburg County | Spartanburg | 808.4 sq mi | 2.7% |
| 10 | Florence County | Florence | 800.5 sq mi | 2.7% |
Which county of South Carolina are you in?
Use your device location to see which county of South Carolina you are in right now.
List of All 46 Counties in South Carolina
Every county in South Carolina is listed below with its seat, 2020 Census population, land area and FIPS code. Search by name, seat or FIPS, sort any column, or export the full table as CSV.
County | Seat | 2020 Census Pop | Land Area (sq mi) | FIPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Greenville County | Greenville | 525,543 | 786 sq mi | 45045 |
Richland County | Columbia | 416,147 | 757 sq mi | 45079 |
Charleston County | Charleston | 408,481 | 918 sq mi | 45019 |
Horry County | Conway | 351,032 | 1,133 sq mi | 45051 |
Spartanburg County | Spartanburg | 327,992 | 808 sq mi | 45083 |
Lexington County | Lexington | 293,977 | 699 sq mi | 45063 |
York County | York | 282,089 | 681 sq mi | 45091 |
Berkeley County | Moncks Corner | 229,826 | 1,104 sq mi | 45015 |
Anderson County | Anderson | 203,724 | 714 sq mi | 45007 |
Beaufort County | Beaufort | 187,106 | 576 sq mi | 45013 |
Aiken County | Aiken | 168,806 | 1,071 sq mi | 45003 |
Dorchester County | St. George | 161,329 | 569 sq mi | 45035 |
Florence County | Florence | 137,060 | 801 sq mi | 45041 |
Pickens County | Pickens | 131,408 | 497 sq mi | 45077 |
Sumter County | Sumter | 105,548 | 665 sq mi | 45085 |
Lancaster County | Lancaster | 96,011 | 549 sq mi | 45057 |
Orangeburg County | Orangeburg | 84,221 | 1,106 sq mi | 45075 |
Oconee County | Walhalla | 78,604 | 627 sq mi | 45073 |
Greenwood County | Greenwood | 69,349 | 456 sq mi | 45047 |
Laurens County | Laurens | 67,537 | 713 sq mi | 45059 |
Kershaw County | Camden | 65,409 | 727 sq mi | 45055 |
Georgetown County | Georgetown | 63,402 | 814 sq mi | 45043 |
Darlington County | Darlington | 62,905 | 561 sq mi | 45031 |
Cherokee County | Gaffney | 56,224 | 393 sq mi | 45021 |
Chesterfield County | Chesterfield | 43,272 | 799 sq mi | 45025 |
Colleton County | Walterboro | 38,602 | 1,057 sq mi | 45029 |
Newberry County | Newberry | 37,721 | 630 sq mi | 45071 |
Chester County | Chester | 32,294 | 581 sq mi | 45023 |
Clarendon County | Manning | 31,145 | 607 sq mi | 45027 |
Williamsburg County | Kingstree | 31,023 | 934 sq mi | 45089 |
Marion County | Marion | 29,185 | 489 sq mi | 45067 |
Jasper County | Ridgeland | 28,810 | 655 sq mi | 45053 |
Dillon County | Dillon | 28,296 | 405 sq mi | 45033 |
Union County | Union | 27,240 | 514 sq mi | 45087 |
Marlboro County | Bennettsville | 26,669 | 480 sq mi | 45069 |
Edgefield County | Edgefield | 25,645 | 501 sq mi | 45037 |
Abbeville County | Abbeville | 24,294 | 491 sq mi | 45001 |
Fairfield County | Winnsboro | 20,956 | 686 sq mi | 45039 |
Barnwell County | Barnwell | 20,590 | 548 sq mi | 45011 |
Saluda County | Saluda | 18,855 | 453 sq mi | 45081 |
Hampton County | Hampton | 18,555 | 560 sq mi | 45049 |
Lee County | Bishopville | 16,531 | 410 sq mi | 45061 |
Calhoun County | St. Matthews | 14,122 | 381 sq mi | 45017 |
Bamberg County | Bamberg | 13,313 | 393 sq mi | 45009 |
McCormick County | McCormick | 9,528 | 359 sq mi | 45065 |
Allendale County | Allendale | 8,046 | 408 sq mi | 45005 |
Neighboring States Bordering South Carolina
County maps, lists and printable blank maps for the states that border South Carolina:
Data Sources & FIPS Codes
South Carolina uses state FIPS code 45; each county adds a three-digit code to form the five-digit FIPS (now INCITS 31) identifiers in the table. Populations are 2020 Census counts and land areas come from the Census Gazetteer. The map above is drawn from the Census Bureau's generalized 2017 cartographic boundary file (1:10,000,000), so it suits overview and printing, not parcel-level or legal boundary questions; for those, check the local assessor or GIS office.
Questions About South Carolina Counties
What is the Home Rule Act of 1975 in South Carolina?
The Home Rule Act of 1975 was a landmark South Carolina law that transferred local governance from state legislative delegations to newly established, elected County Councils, granting counties autonomous authority over budgets, roads, and ordinances.
What is the most populous county in South Carolina?
Greenville County is the most populous county in South Carolina, with approximately 525,534 residents. Located in the Upstate region, it is a premier commercial and advanced manufacturing center.
Can South Carolina create new counties?
While theoretically possible, Article VII of the South Carolina Constitution imposes strict requirements (minimum 500 square miles of land area, minimum population, and two-thirds voter approval), keeping the total at 46 counties since 1919.
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