List of counties in South Carolina


The U.S. state of South Carolina is made up of 46 counties, the maximum allowable by state law. They range in size from 359 square miles in the case of Calhoun County to 1,358 square miles 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 498,776, despite the state's most populous city, Charleston, being located in Charleston 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

Defunct parishes, counties and districts

Parishes

Until the late 19th century, the South Carolina Lowcountry was divided into parishes which in turn were subdivided several "districts"; these civil parishes were based on and generally coincident with Anglican ecclesiastical parishes.