List of counties in South Carolina

Map of the counties of South Carolina

See also: List of United States counties and county-equivalents

The U.S. state of South Carolina is made up of 46 counties, the maximum allowable by state law. They range in size from 392 square miles (1,016 square kilometers) in the case of Calhoun County to 1,358 square miles (3,517 square kilometers) in the case of Charleston County. The least populous county is McCormick County, with only 9,958 residents, while the most populous county is Greenville County, with a population of 451,225, despite the state's most populous city, Columbia, being located in Richland County.

History

In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided into parishes corresponding to the parishes of the Church of England. There were also several counties that had judicial and electoral functions. As people settled the backcountry, judicial districts and additional counties were formed. This structure continued and grew after the Revolutionary War. In 1800, all counties were renamed as districts. In 1868, the districts were converted back to counties. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has maps that show the boundaries of counties, districts, and parishes starting in 1682.

Alphabetical list

County	FIPS code	County seat	Established	Origin	Etymology	Population =	Area	Map
Abbeville County	001	Abbeville	1785	Ninety-Six District	Abbeville, France	700425417000000000025,417	7002511000000000000511 sq mi (70031323000000000001,323 km2)
Aiken County	003	Aiken	1871	Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg	William Aiken, founder of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company	7005160099000000000160,099	70031080000000000001,080 sq mi (70032797000000000002,797 km2)
Allendale County	005	Allendale	1919	Barnwell and Hampton	P.H. Allen, first postmaster of the new county	700410419000000000010,419	7002413000000000000413 sq mi (70031070000000000001,070 km2)
Anderson County	007	Anderson	1826	Pendleton District	Robert Anderson, American Revolutionary War general and Southern surveyor	7005187126000000000187,126	7002757000000000000757 sq mi (70031961000000000001,961 km2)
Bamberg County	009	Bamberg	1897	Barnwell	Francis Marion Bamberg, Confederate general in the American Civil War	700415987000000000015,987	7002395000000000000395 sq mi (70031023000000000001,023 km2)
Barnwell County	011	Barnwell	1798	Orangeburg	John Barnwell, South Carolina State Senator and prisoner of war during the American Revolution	700422261000000000022,261	7002557000000000000557 sq mi (70031443000000000001,443 km2)
Beaufort County	013	Beaufort	1769	1769 Judicial District	Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, colonial proprietary landowner	7005162233000000000162,233	7002576000000000000576 sq mi (70031492000000000001,492 km2)
Berkeley County	015	Moncks Corner	1882	Charleston	William Berkeley, colonial proprietary governor and landowner	7005177843000000000177,843	70031228000000000001,228 sq mi (70033181000000000003,181 km2)
Calhoun County	017	St. Matthews	1908	Lexington and Orangeburg	John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and states' rights advocate	700415185000000000015,185	7002392000000000000392 sq mi (70031015000000000001,015 km2)
Charleston County	019	Charleston	1769	1769 Judicial District	King Charles II of England	7005350209000000000350,209	7002916090000000000916.09 sq mi (70032373000000000002,373 km2)
Cherokee County	021	Gaffney	1897	Spartanburg, Union, and York	Cherokee Native Americans	700455342000000000055,342	7002397000000000000397 sq mi (70031028000000000001,028 km2)
Chester County	023	Chester	1785	Camden District	Chester, Pennsylvania	700433140000000000033,140	7002586000000000000586 sq mi (70031518000000000001,518 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 British House of Lords	700446734000000000046,734	7002806000000000000806 sq mi (70032088000000000002,088 km2)
Clarendon County	027	Manning	1855	Sumter	Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, colonial proprietary landowner	700434971000000000034,971	7002696000000000000696 sq mi (70031803000000000001,803 km2)
Colleton County	029	Walterboro	1800	Charleston	John Colleton, colonial proprietary landowner	700438892000000000038,892	70031133000000000001,133 sq mi (70032934000000000002,934 km2)
Darlington County	031	Darlington	1785	Cheraws District	Darlington, England	700468681000000000068,681	7002567000000000000567 sq mi (70031469000000000001,469 km2)
Dillon County	033	Dillon	1910	Marion	J.W. Dillon, founder of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad	700432062000000000032,062	7002407000000000000407 sq mi (70031054000000000001,054 km2)
Dorchester County	035	St. George	1868	Berkeley and Colleton	Dorchester, Massachusetts	7005136555000000000136,555	7002577000000000000577 sq mi (70031494000000000001,494 km2)
Edgefield County	037	Edgefield	1785	Ninety-Six District	Disputed; either its location on the edge of the state or Edgefield, Norfolk, England	700426985000000000026,985	7002507000000000000507 sq mi (70031313000000000001,313 km2)
Fairfield County	039	Winnsboro	1785	Camden District	The county's fair fields, as described by colonial governor Charles Cornwallis	700423956000000000023,956	7002710000000000000710 sq mi (70031839000000000001,839 km2)
Florence County	041	Florence	1888	Clarendon, Darlington, Marion, and Williamsburg	Florence Harllee, wife of Wilmington and Manchester Railroad founder W.W. Harllee	7005136885000000000136,885	7002804000000000000804 sq mi (70032082000000000002,082 km2)
Georgetown County	043	Georgetown	1769	1769 Judicial District	King George II of Great Britain	700460158000000000060,158	7002813550000000000813.55 sq mi (70032107000000000002,107 km2)
Greenville County	045	Greenville	1798	Washington District	Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War general	7005451225000000000451,225	7002795000000000000795 sq mi (70032059000000000002,059 km2)
Greenwood County	047	Greenwood	1897	Abbeville and Edgefield	Greenwood Plantation, the home of John McGee, the county's largest landowner	700469661000000000069,661	7002463000000000000463 sq mi (70031199000000000001,199 km2)
Hampton County	049	Hampton	1787	Beaufort	Wade Hampton, Congressman from South Carolina and once the nation's wealthiest citizen	700421090000000000021,090	7002563000000000000563 sq mi (70031458000000000001,458 km2)
Horry County	051	Conway	1801	Georgetown	Peter Horry, Revolutionary War general	7005269291000000000269,291	70031134000000000001,134 sq mi (70032937000000000002,937 km2)
Jasper County	053	Ridgeland	1912	Beaufort and Hampton	William Jasper, Revolutionary War sergeant	700424777000000000024,777	7002700000000000000700 sq mi (70031813000000000001,813 km2)
Kershaw County	055	Camden	1798	Claremont, Fairfield, Lancaster, and Richland	Joseph Kershaw, one of the county's pioneering settlers	700461697000000000061,697	7002740000000000000740 sq mi (70031917000000000001,917 km2)
Lancaster County	057	Lancaster	1798	Camden District	Lancaster County, Pennsylvania	700476652000000000076,652	7002555000000000000555 sq mi (70031437000000000001,437 km2)
Laurens County	059	Laurens	1785	Ninety-Six District	Henry Laurens, president of the Second Continental Congress and prisoner of war during the American Revolution	700466537000000000066,537	7002724000000000000724 sq mi (70031875000000000001,875 km2)
Lee County	061	Bishopville	1902	Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter	Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the Civil War	700419220000000000019,220	7002411000000000000411 sq mi (70031064000000000001,064 km2)
Lexington County	063	Lexington	1804	Orangeburg	Battle of Lexington, opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War	7005262391000000000262,391	7002758000000000000758 sq mi (70031963000000000001,963 km2)
Marion County	067	Marion	1800	Georgetown	Francis Marion, Revolutionary War general	700433062000000000033,062	7002494000000000000494 sq mi (70031279000000000001,279 km2)
Marlboro County	069	Bennettsville	1798	Cheraws District	John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general, diplomat, and confidant of monarchs	700428933000000000028,933	7002485000000000000485 sq mi (70031256000000000001,256 km2)
McCormick County	065	McCormick	1914	Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood	Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the mechanical reaper and founder of International Harvester	700410233000000000010,233	7002394000000000000394 sq mi (70031020000000000001,020 km2)
Newberry County	071	Newberry	1785	Ninety-Six District	Disputed; possibly Newbury, Berkshire, England, or from early settlers' notion that the landscape was as "pretty as a new berry"	700437508000000000037,508	7002647000000000000647 sq mi (70031676000000000001,676 km2)
Oconee County	073	Walhalla	1868	Pickens	Oconee Native Americans	700474273000000000074,273	7002674000000000000674 sq mi (70031746000000000001,746 km2)
Orangeburg County	075	Orangeburg	1769	1769 Judicial District	King William V of Orange	700492501000000000092,501	70031128000000000001,128 sq mi (70032922000000000002,922 km2)
Pickens County	077	Pickens	1826	Pendleton District	Andrew Pickens, Governor of South Carolina	7005119224000000000119,224	7002512000000000000512 sq mi (70031326000000000001,326 km2)
Richland County	079	Columbia	1799	Camden District	The county's rich soil	7005384504000000000384,504	7002772000000000000772 sq mi (70031999000000000001,999 km2)
Saluda County	081	Saluda	1896	Edgefield	Saluda River	700419875000000000019,875	7002462000000000000462 sq mi (70031197000000000001,197 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 War Battle of Cowpens	7005284307000000000284,307	7002819000000000000819 sq mi (70032121000000000002,121 km2)
Sumter County	085	Sumter	1798	Claremont, Clarendon, and Salem	Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War general and U.S. Senator from South Carolina	7005107456000000000107,456	7002682000000000000682 sq mi (70031766000000000001,766 km2)
Union County	087	Union	1798	Ninety-Six District	Union Church, the first Christian place of worship in the area	700428961000000000028,961	7002516000000000000516 sq mi (70031336000000000001,336 km2)
Williamsburg County	089	Kingstree	1802	Georgetown District	King William III of England	700434423000000000034,423	7002937000000000000937 sq mi (70032427000000000002,427 km2)
York County	091	York	1798	Camden District	York County, Pennsylvania	7005226073000000000226,073	7002696000000000000696 sq mi (70031803000000000001,803 km2)

Defunct parishes, counties and districts

Parishes

• St. Luke's Parish, South Carolina created by the Colonial Assembly on 23 May 1767, located on Hilton Head Island and the adjacent mainland.

Counties

• Craven County created in 1682 by the Lords Proprietors
• Granville County created in 1686 by the Lords Proprietors
• Orange County 1785-1791
• Lewisburg County 1785-1791
• Winton County present-day Barnwell County
• Liberty County present-day Marion County
• Winyah County former name of Georgetown County
• Claremont County
• Salem County

Districts

• Cheraw District created in 1769
• Camden District created in 1769
• Ninety-Six District created in 1769
• Pinckney District 1791-1798
• Washington District 1785-1798
• Pendleton District created in 1789 from Cherokee lands

Proposed counties

• Birch County proposed in 2013 (portions of Lexington and Richland counties)

References

• Landrum, John Belton O'Neall (1897) Colonial and revolutionary history of upper South Carolina: embracing for the most part the primitive and colonial history of the territory comprising the original county of Spartanburg with a general review of the entire military operations in the upper portion of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina Shannon and Company, Greenville, South Carolina, OCLC 3492548

External links

• Information on County Formation timeline
• Complete South Carolina County Guide
• Map of former parishes of South Carolina South Carolina Department of Archives and History