State bird
Carolina wren
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeColumbia ·
U.S. States / South · Card 040
South Carolina
The Palmetto State
Congaree protects old-growth bottomland hardwood forest on a floodplain.
South Carolina and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights South Carolina.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Columbia
- Postal abbreviation
- SC
- Population
- 5,570,274July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 82,933 km²32,020 square miles · land and water
- Constitution ratified
- May 23, 1788One of the original thirteen states
- Region
- South
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
A state song
South Carolina on My Mind
Sources: Designation & background
State snack food
Boiled peanuts
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Georgia, North Carolina.
02
Landscape & places
Congaree protects old-growth bottomland hardwood forest on a floodplain. Periodic river flooding brings water, sediment and nutrients into the forest, helping support its unusually large trees and diverse habitats.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 77,857 km² of land and 5,076 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
A white palmetto tree and crescent on a dark-blue field.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Congaree
How the landscape works
Congaree’s bottomland forest occupies a floodplain. Periodic flooding carries water, sediment, and nutrients into the forest. Flooding is therefore part of this ecosystem’s functioning, not automatically evidence that something has gone wrong. The effects of a process depend on the setting: water that creates hazards for buildings may sustain a flood-adapted habitat.
History
Why fighting began at Fort Sumter
After South Carolina seceded in December 1860, U.S. troops continued to hold Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Confederate authorities demanded control of the fort, while the federal government refused to recognize secession as ending its authority there. The garrison’s dwindling supplies made the confrontation urgent.
President Abraham Lincoln announced an effort to resupply the fort. Confederate forces opened fire on April 12, 1861. The garrison surrendered the following day and evacuated on April 14. The bombardment began the Civil War, turning the dispute over secession into open warfare.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
Fort Sumter was a federal position in a state that had seceded. Control and resupply of the fort became a confrontation over federal authority and secession. Confederate bombardment in April 1861 began the fighting there and helped turn the secession crisis into open war. The fort’s political position explains why a relatively small location mattered nationally.
Key dates
-
Carolina charter granted
-
Constitution ratified · One of the original thirteen states
-
Bombardment of Fort Sumter began the Civil War
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Catawba Nation’s own information connects South Carolina with a living tribal government and community. Its history is distinct from the secession crisis and from the floodplain ecology explored elsewhere on this page.
Continue with Catawba Nation. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
South Carolina and Georgia
| Measure | South Carolina | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 5,570,274 | 11,302,748 |
| Land area (km²) | 77,857 | 148,959 |
| People per km² of land | 71.5 | 75.9 |
Georgia has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Georgia.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, real estate and rental and leasing was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included government and government enterprises, manufacturing, and professional and business services.
Total economic output was $378.8 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 15.8%
- Government and government enterprises: 13.0%
- Manufacturing: 12.8%
- Professional and business services: 11.0%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people5.572025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5,131,992 |
| 2021 | 5,194,346 |
| 2022 | 5,288,957 |
| 2023 | 5,390,798 |
| 2024 | 5,490,316 |
| 2025 | 5,570,274 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars286.772025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 188,777.2 |
| 2011 | 193,221.0 |
| 2012 | 195,406.1 |
| 2013 | 200,147.3 |
| 2014 | 206,077.9 |
| 2015 | 213,212.4 |
| 2016 | 220,559.3 |
| 2017 | 224,937.6 |
| 2018 | 231,663.3 |
| 2019 | 239,021.3 |
| 2020 | 233,294.4 |
| 2021 | 245,812.0 |
| 2022 | 256,608.5 |
| 2023 | 266,037.8 |
| 2024 | 278,032.8 |
| 2025 | 286,774.3 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
South Carolina’s population increased by about 8.5% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 92024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 72020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about South Carolina
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.