Editing South Carolina

{{Short description|U.S. state}}
{{About|the U.S. state|other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = South Carolina
| image_flag = Flag of South Carolina.svg
| flag_link = Flag of South Carolina
| image_seal = Seal of South Carolina.svg
| image_map = South Carolina in United States.svg
| nickname = The Palmetto State
| motto = {{lang|la|[[Dum spiro spero]]}}<br />"While I breathe, I hope"<br />{{lang|la|[[Animis opibusque parati]]}}<br />"Prepared in mind and resources"
| anthem = "[[Carolina (state song)|Carolina]]"<br />"[[South Carolina on my Mind]]"
| Former = Province of South Carolina
| seat = [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]
| LargestCity = [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]
| LargestMetro = [[Upstate South Carolina|Greenville]] (combined and metro)<br>[[Columbia metropolitan area, South Carolina|Columbia]] (urban)
| OfficialLang = [[English language|English]]
| Languages = * [[English language|English]] 93.82% 
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]] 4.62 %
* [[German language| German]] 0.26%
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]] 0.25%
* [[French language|French]] 0.23%
* [[Filipino language|Tagalog]] 0.18%
* [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] 0.16%
* [[Russian language|Russian]] 0.15%
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] 0.12%
* [[Hindi language|Hindi]] 0.11%
* [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] 0.10% <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/health-and-nutrition/meal-programs/civil-rights-limited-english-proficiency-accessibility-requirements/facts-top-10-languages-of-south-carolina-other-than-english/ |title=Facts: Top 10 Languages of South Carolina (Other Than English) |publisher=South Carolina Department of Education |access-date=January 23, 2025}}</ref>
| population_demonym = [[List of U.S. state residents names|South Carolinian]]
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Henry McMaster]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Pamela Evette]] (R)}}
| Legislature = [[South Carolina General Assembly|General Assembly]]
| Upperhouse = [[South Carolina Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[South Carolina House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[South Carolina Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Lindsey Graham]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Tim Scott]] (R)}}
| Representative = 6 Republicans<br />1 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
| postal_code = SC
| TradAbbreviation = S.C.
| area_rank = 40th
| area_total_sq_mi = 32020.49
| area_total_km2 = 82932.7
| area_land_sq_mi = 30060.70
| area_land_km2 = 77856.9
| area_water_sq_mi = 1959.79
| area_water_km2 = 5075.8
| area_water_percent = 6.12
| population_rank = 23rd
| population_as_of = 2024
| 2010Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 5,478,831<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC/PST045224|accessdate=January 9, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts South Carolina}}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 18th
| 2020DensityUS = 170.27
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|67804|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|40th]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 8th
| AdmittanceDate = May 23, 1788
| timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset1 = −05:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −04:00
| Latitude = 32°02′ N to 35°13′ N
| Longitude = 78°32′ W to 83°21′ W
| width_mi = 200
| width_km = 320
| length_mi = 260
| length_km = 420
| elevation_max_point = [[Sassafras Mountain]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |access-date=October 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011 }}</ref>{{efn|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]]}}
| elevation_max_ft = 3,560
| elevation_max_m = 1,085
| elevation_ft = 350
| elevation_m = 110
| elevation_min_point = Atlantic Ocean<ref name=USGS/>
| elevation_min_ft = 0
| elevation_min_m = 0
| iso_code = US-SC
| website = https://sc.gov
| Capital = Columbia
| LargestCounty = [[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville]]
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
| state      = South Carolina
| image_flag      = Flag of South Carolina.svg
| image_seal      = Seal of South Carolina.svg
| amphibian = [[Spotted Salamander]]
| bird      = [[Carolina Wren]]
| butterfly = [[Eastern Tiger Swallowtail]]
| dog       = [[Boykin Spaniel]]
| fish      = [[Striped bass]]
| flower    = [[Gelsemium sempervirens|Yellow jessamine]]
| insect    = [[Carolina mantis]]
| mammal    = [[White-tailed deer]]
| reptile   = [[Loggerhead sea turtle]]
| tree      = [[Sabal palmetto]]
| beverage  = [[Milk]]
| dance     = [[Carolina shag]]
| food      = {{ubl
 | '''Fruit:''' [[Peach]]
 | '''Snack:''' [[Boiled peanuts]]
 | '''Vegetable:''' [[Collard greens]]
}}
| fossil = [[Columbian mammoth]]<br />(''Mammuthus columbi'')
| mineral = [[Amethyst]]
| rock = [[Larvikite|Blue Granite]]
| shell = [[Lettered olive]]
| image_route = File:South Carolina 9.svg
| image_quarter = South Carolina quarter, reverse side, 2000.jpg
| quarter_release_date = 2000
| other = [[Hogna carolinensis]]
}}

'''South Carolina''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-South Carolina.ogg|ˌ|k|ær|ə|ˈ|l|aɪ|n|ə}} {{respell|KARR|ə|LY|nə}}) is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeastern]] region of the [[United States]]. It borders [[North Carolina]] to the north and northeast, the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the southeast, and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] to the west and south across the [[Savannah River]]. Along with North Carolina, it makes up the [[Carolinas]] region of the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. South Carolina is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|40th-largest]] and [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|23rd-most populous U.S. state]] with a recorded population of 5,118,425 according to the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> In {{As of|2019|bare=yes}}, its GDP was $213.45&nbsp;billion. South Carolina is composed of [[List of counties in South Carolina|46 counties]]. The capital is [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] with a population of 136,632 in 2020;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/columbiacitysouthcarolina |title=QuickFacts: Columbia city, South Carolina |access-date=March 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611105511/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/columbiacitysouthcarolina/PST045218 |archive-date=June 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> while its [[List of municipalities in South Carolina|most populous city]] is [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] with a 2020 population of 150,227.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/charlestoncitysouthcarolina |title=QuickFacts: Charleston city, South Carolina |access-date=March 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042617/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/charlestoncitysouthcarolina/PST045218 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Upstate South Carolina|Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area]] is the most populous [[Combined statistical area|combined metropolitan area]] in the state, with an estimated 2023 population of 1,590,636.<ref name="PopEstCBSA"/>

South Carolina was named in honor of King [[Charles I of England]], who first formed the English colony, with ''Carolus'' being Latin for "Charles".<ref>{{cite book|last=N. C. Board of Agriculture|title=A sketch of North Carolina|url=https://archive.org/details/sketchofnorthcar00nort|date=1902|publisher=Lucas-Richardson Co|location=Charleston|page=[https://archive.org/details/sketchofnorthcar00nort/page/4 4]|ol=6918901M}}</ref> In 1712 the [[Province of South Carolina]] was formed. One of the original [[Thirteen Colonies]], South Carolina became a [[royal colony]] in 1719. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], South Carolina was the site of major activity among the American colonies, with more than 200 battles and skirmishes fought within the state.<ref>[https://discoversouthcarolina.com/revolutionary-war Revolutionary War in South Carolina]. ''Discover South Carolina''. Retrieved July 15, 2022.</ref> South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]] on May 23, 1788. A [[Slave states and free states|slave state]], it was the first state to vote in favor of secession from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] on December 20, 1860. After the Civil War ended, the state was readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868.

During the early-to-mid 20th century, the state started to see economic progress as many [[Textile manufacturing|textile mills]] and [[Mill town|factories]] were built across the state. The [[civil rights movement]] of the mid-20th century helped end segregation and legal discrimination policies within the state. [[Economic diversity|Economic diversification]] in South Carolina continued to pick up speed during and in the ensuing decades after [[World War II]]. In the early 21st century, [[Economy of South Carolina|South Carolina's economy]] is based on industries such as [[aerospace]], [[agribusiness]], [[Automotive industry|automotive manufacturing]], and tourism.<ref>[https://greerdevelopment.com/2019-top-industries-in-south-carolina/ 2019 Top Industries in South Carolina] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615023631/https://greerdevelopment.com/2019-top-industries-in-south-carolina/ |date=June 15, 2021 }}. ''greerdevelopment.com''. Retrieved June 14, 2021.</ref>

Within South Carolina from east to west are three main geographic regions, the [[Atlantic coastal plain]], the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], and the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] in the northwestern corner of [[Upstate South Carolina]]. South Carolina has primarily a [[humid subtropical climate]], with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Areas in the Upstate have a [[Oceanic climate|subtropical highland climate]]. Along South Carolina's eastern coastal plain are many [[salt marsh]]es and [[Estuary|estuaries]]. South Carolina's southeastern [[South Carolina Lowcountry|Lowcountry]] contains portions of the [[Sea Islands]], a chain of [[barrier island]]s along the Atlantic Ocean.

==History==
{{Main|History of South Carolina}}

===Precolonial period===
[[File:Anonimo portoghese, carta navale per le isole nuovamente trovate in la parte dell'india (de cantino), 1501-02 (bibl. estense) 02.jpg|thumb|left|Top left, the shores of Florida and the future Carolina explored in 1500 and showed in 1502 on the [[Cantino planisphere]]]]

There is evidence of human activities in the area dating to about 50,000 years ago.<ref>University Of South Carolina. [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041118104010.htm "New Evidence Puts Man In North America 50,000 Years Ago."] ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, November 18, 2004.</ref> At the time Europeans arrived, marking the end [[Pre-Columbian era]] around 1600, there were many separate Native American tribes, the largest being the [[Cherokee]] and the [[Catawba people|Catawba]], with a total population being up to 20,000.<ref name=leifermann>{{cite book|last1=Liefermann|first1=Henry|last2=Horan|first2=Eric|title=South Carolina|date=2000|publisher=Compass American Guides|location=Oakland, CA|isbn=978-0-679-00509-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/compassamericang00henr/page/13 13–47, 252–254]|edition=3rd|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/compassamericang00henr/page/13}}</ref>

Up the rivers of the eastern coastal plain lived about a dozen tribes of [[Siouan languages|Siouan]] background. Along the [[Savannah River]] were the [[Apalachee]], [[Yuchi]], and the [[Yamasee]]. Further west were the Cherokee, and along the [[Catawba River]], the Catawba. These tribes were village-dwellers, relying on agriculture as their primary food source.<ref name="leifermann" /> The Cherokee lived in [[wattle and daub]] houses made with wood and clay, roofed with wood or [[Thatching|thatched]] grass.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reference.com/history/type-dwellings-did-cherokee-indians-live-a45ad525016b2b?qo=contentSimilarQuestions|title=What type of dwellings did the Cherokee Indians live in?|newspaper=Reference|access-date=February 12, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212163851/https://www.reference.com/history/type-dwellings-did-cherokee-indians-live-a45ad525016b2b?qo=contentSimilarQuestions|archive-date=February 12, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

About a dozen or more separate small tribes summered on the coast harvesting oysters and fish, and cultivating corn, peas and beans. Travelling inland as much as {{convert|50|mi|km}} mostly by canoe, they wintered on the coastal plain, hunting deer and gathering nuts and fruit. The names of these tribes survive in place names like [[Edisto Island, South Carolina|Edisto Island]], [[Kiawah Island, South Carolina|Kiawah Island]], and the [[Ashepoo River]].<ref name="leifermann" />

===Exploration===
{{Main|Spanish Florida|French Florida}}
[[File:Floride francaise Pierre du Val.jpg|thumb|left|Map of [[French Florida]], which included modern-day South Carolina]]

The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area. From June 24 to July 14, 1521, they explored the land around [[Winyah Bay]]. On October 8, 1526, they founded [[San Miguel de Gualdape]], near present-day [[Georgetown, South Carolina]]. It was the first European settlement in what is now the [[contiguous United States]]. Established with five hundred settlers, it was abandoned eight months later by one hundred and fifty survivors. In 1540, [[Hernando de Soto]] explored the region and the main town of [[Cofitachequi]], where he captured the queen of the [[Muscogee|Maskoki]] (Muscogee) and the [[Cherokee|Chelaque]] (Cherokee) who had welcomed him.

In 1562 French [[Huguenot]]s established a settlement at what is now the [[Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site|Charlesfort-Santa Elena]] archaeological site on [[Parris Island, South Carolina|Parris Island]]. Many of these settlers preferred a natural life far from civilization and the atrocities of the [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]]. The garrison lacked supplies, however, and the soldiers (as in the [[France Antarctique]]) soon ran away. The French returned two years later but settled in present-day Florida rather than South Carolina.<ref name="leifermann" />

===Colonization===
{{Main|Carolana|Province of Carolina|Province of South Carolina}}
{{see also|Mississippian shatter zone}}
[[File:Wpdms carolina colony grant.png|thumb|left|The Carolina Colony grants of 1663 and 1665]]
Sixty years later, in 1629, King [[Charles I of England]] established the province of [[Carolana]], an area covering what is now South and [[North Carolina]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[Tennessee]]. Carolana was granted to [[Sir Robert Heath]], who intended to allow French [[Huguenots]] to settle there; however, King Charles refused to grant permission to settle to anyone who was not a member of the [[Church of England|Anglican Church]], leading to the failure of the colony. In 1663, King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] created the [[Province of Carolina]] by granting the same land to eight [[Lords Proprietors]] in return for their financial and political assistance in [[Restoration (1660)|restoring]] him to the throne in 1660.<ref>{{cite book|first=Danforth|last=Prince|title=Frommer's The Carolinas and Georgia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43yVaZoByecC|date=March 10, 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-03341-8|page=11|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427112527/https://books.google.com/books?id=43yVaZoByecC|archive-date=April 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury|Anthony Ashley Cooper]], one of the Lord Proprietors, planned the [[Grand Model for the Province of Carolina]] and wrote the [[Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina]], which laid the basis for the future colony.<ref>Wilson, Thomas D. ''The Ashley Cooper Plan: The Founding of Carolina and the Origins of Southern Political Culture.'' Chapter 1.</ref> His [[utopia]] was inspired by [[John Locke]], an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism".

The Carolina slave trade, which included both trading and direct raids by colonists,<ref name=Ethridge2010>{{cite book|last=Ethridge|first=R.|year=2010|title=From Chicaza to Chickasaw: The European Invasion and the Transformation of the Mississippian World, 1540–1715|location=United States|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn= 9780807899335}}</ref>{{rp|109}} was the largest among the British colonies in North America.<ref name=Ethridge2010/>{{rp|65}} Between 1670 and 1715, between 24,000 and 51,000 captive Native Americans were exported from South Carolina – more than the number of Africans imported to the colonies of the future United States during the same period.<ref name="gallay">{{cite book|last=Gallay|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Gallay|year=2002|title=The Indian Slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the American South 1670–1717|location=New York|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0-300-10193-7|page=299}}</ref><ref name=Ethridge2010/>{{rp|237}} Additional enslaved Native Americans were exported from South Carolina to other U.S. colonies.<ref name="gallay" /> The historian [[Alan Gallay]] says, "the trade in Indian slaves was at the center of the English empire's development in the American South. The trade in Indian slaves was the most important factor affecting the South in the period 1670 to 1715".<ref name="gallay"/>

In the 1670s, English planters from Barbados established themselves near what is now Charleston. Settlers from all over Europe built rice plantations in the [[South Carolina Lowcountry]], east of the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line]]. Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720.<ref name="sc-lib">{{cite web|title=South Carolina Information: History and Culture|url=http://statelibrary.sc.libguides.com/sc-information/history-culture|website=SC State Library|access-date=February 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213090530/http://statelibrary.sc.libguides.com/sc-information/history-culture|archive-date=February 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Another cash crop was the [[Indigofera|indigo plant]], a plant source of blue dye, developed by [[Eliza Lucas]].
 
Meanwhile, [[Upstate South Carolina]], west of the Fall Line, was settled by small farmers and traders, who due to resource competition fought a number of wars with confederated Native American tribes westward. Colonists overthrew the proprietors' rule, seeking more direct representation. In 1712, the former [[Province of Carolina]] split into North and South Carolina. In 1719, South Carolina was officially made a [[crown colony|royal colony]].

South Carolina prospered from the fertility of the lowcountry and the harbors, such as at [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. It allowed religious toleration, encouraging settlement, and trade in deerskin, lumber, and beef thrived. Rice cultivation was developed on a large scale on the back of slave labor.

By the second half of the 1700s, South Carolina was one of the richest of the [[Thirteen Colonies]].<ref name="sc-lib"/>

===The American Revolution===
{{Main|South Carolina in the American Revolution|Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War}}
[[File:Recto South Carolina 20 dollars 1777 urn-3 HBS.Baker.AC 1104492.jpeg|alt=A twenty-dollar banknote issued by South Carolina in 1777 with the inscription: "SOUTH CAROLINA. This Bill intitles the Bearer to Twenty Dollars or Thirty two Pounds ten shillings Current Money of this State pursuant to an Ordinance of the General Assembly passed the 14th Day of Feb. 1777." ; Denominations stated as: "TWENTY DOLLARS" and "L32.10". ; Within emblem: "UBI LIBERTAS IBI PATRIA" ; Verso: "XX Dollars. DEATH TO COUNTERFEIT. L. 32:10:0".|thumb|A twenty-dollar banknote issued by South Carolina in 1777]]
On March 26, 1776, the colony adopted the [[Constitution of South Carolina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/sc01.asp |title=The Avalon Project : Constitution of South Carolina – March 26, 1776 |publisher=Avalon.law.yale.edu |date=June 30, 1906 |access-date=December 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117080717/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/sc01.asp |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> electing [[John Rutledge]] as the state's first president. In February 1778, South Carolina became the first state to ratify the [[Articles of Confederation]],<ref>{{cite web|title=South Carolina State and Local Government|url=http://www.thegreenpapers.com/slg/SC.html|website=The Green Papers|access-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115104528/http://www.thegreenpapers.com/slg/SC.html|archive-date=January 15, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> the initial governing document of the United States, and in May 1788, South Carolina ratified the [[United States Constitution]], becoming the eighth state to enter the union.

During the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), about a third of combat action took place in South Carolina,<ref name=gordon>{{cite book|last1=Gordon|first1=John W.|title=South Carolina and the American Revolution : a battlefield history|date=2007|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|location=Columbia|isbn=978-1570036613|edition=Paperback}}</ref> more than any other state.<ref name="sc-lib"/> Inhabitants of the state endured being invaded by British forces and an ongoing civil war between loyalists and partisans that devastated the backcountry.<ref name=gordon/> It is estimated 25,000 slaves (30% of those in South Carolina) fled, migrated or died during the war.<ref>Peter Kolchin, ''American Slavery: 1619–1877'', New York: Hill and Wang, 1994, p.73</ref>

===Antebellum===
{{Main|Antebellum South Carolina}}
[[File:Millford Plantation HABS color 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Millford Plantation]] built 1839–41, is an example of [[Greek Revival architecture]]]]
America's first census in 1790 put the state's population at nearly 250,000. By the 1800 census, the population had increased 38 per cent to nearly 340,000 of which 146,000 were slaves. At that time South Carolina had the largest population of Jews in the sixteen states of the United States, mostly based in Savannah and Charleston,<ref name=har>[http://harvardmagazine.com/2003/01/a-portion-of-the-people.html Nell Porter Brown, "A 'portion of the People'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052526/https://harvardmagazine.com/2003/01/a-portion-of-the-people.html |date=September 4, 2018 }}", ''[[Harvard Magazine]]'', January–February 2003</ref> the latter being the country's fifth largest city.<ref>{{cite web|title=POP Culture: 1800|url=https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/fast_facts/1800_fast_facts.html|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009050257/https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/fast_facts/1800_fast_facts.html|archive-date=October 9, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the Antebellum period (before the Civil War) the state's economy and population grew. Cotton became an important crop after the invention of the [[cotton gin]]. While nominally democratic, from 1790 until 1865, wealthy male landowners were in control of South Carolina. For example, a man was not eligible to sit in the State House of Representatives unless he possessed an estate of 500 acres of land and 10 Negroes, or at least 150 pounds sterling.<ref>{{cite web|title=South Carolina Constitution of 1790|url=http://www.carolana.com/SC/Documents/sc_constitution_1790.html|access-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214181241/http://www.carolana.com/SC/Documents/sc_constitution_1790.html|archive-date=February 14, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]], the new state capital was founded in the center of the state, and the State Legislature first met there in 1790. The town grew after it was connected to Charleston by the [[Santee Canal]] in 1800, one of the first canals in the United States.

As dissatisfaction of the planters ruling class with the federal government grew, in the 1820s [[John C. Calhoun]] became a leading proponent of [[states' rights]], [[limited government]], [[Nullification (U.S. Constitution)|nullification of the U.S. Constitution]], and [[free trade]]. In 1832, the [[Ordinance of Nullification]] declared federal tariff laws unconstitutional and not to be enforced in the state, leading to the [[Nullification Crisis]]. The federal [[Force Bill]] was enacted to use whatever military force necessary to enforce federal law in the state, bringing South Carolina back into line.

An 1831 House Report from the Committee on Military Affairs noted that {{blockquote |text=Before the commencement of the war with Great Britain, and for a long time afterwards, the State of South Carolina was almost destitute of any of the means of military protection, excepting as such could be furnished by her own resources. In the harbor of Charleston alone were there any forts, and these were in so feeble a condition, that at a period, when a British squadron was engaged in sounding the depth of water off the bar, and its commander apparently meditating an attack upon the forts, the quantity of gunpowder in the harbor, belonging to the United States, was not more than sufficient to have enabled the garrison to fire a single round.<ref>{{cite web |title=H. Rept. 22-1 - South Carolina claims. December 15, 1831 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-00224_00_00-002-0001-0000 |website=GovInfo.gov |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |access-date=21 June 2023}}</ref>}}

In the [[1860 United States presidential election|United States presidential election of 1860]], voting was sharply divided, with the South voting for the [[Southern Democrats]] and the North for [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. Lincoln was anti-slavery, did not acknowledge the right to [[Secession in the United States|secession]], and would not yield federal property in Southern states. Southern secessionists believed Lincoln's election meant long-term doom for their slavery-based agrarian economy and social system.<ref>[[Avery Craven]], [http://lsupress.org/books/detail/the-growth-of-southern-nationalism-1848-1861/ ''The Growth of Southern Nationalism, 1848–1861''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205452/http://lsupress.org/books/detail/the-growth-of-southern-nationalism-1848-1861/ |date=May 25, 2017 }}, 1953. {{ISBN|978-0-8071-0006-6}}, p. 391, 394, 396.</ref>

Lincoln was elected president on November 6, 1860. The state House of Representatives three days later passed the "Resolution to Call the Election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. President a Hostile Act",<ref>{{cite web|title=Resolution to Call the Election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. President a Hostile Act, 9 November 1860|url=http://www.teachingushistory.org/ttrove/ResolutiontocalltheelectionofAbrahamLincolnaHostileActNovember1860.html|website=Teaching American History in South Carolina|access-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301220726/http://www.teachingushistory.org/tTrove/ResolutiontocalltheelectionofAbrahamLincolnaHostileActNovember1860.html|archive-date=March 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and within weeks South Carolina became the first state to [[Secession in the United States|secede]].<ref name="sc-lib"/>

===American Civil War 1861–1865===
{{Main|Ordinance of Secession|Confederate States of America|South Carolina in the American Civil War}}
[[File:Broad Street Charleston South Carolina 1865.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] after the end of the American Civil War, 1865]]
On April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries began shelling the Union [[Fort Sumter]] in Charleston Harbor, and the [[American Civil War]] began. In November of that year, the Union attacked [[Port Royal Sound]] and soon occupied [[Beaufort County, South Carolina|Beaufort County]] and the neighboring [[Sea Islands]]. For the rest of the war, this area served as a Union base and staging point for other operations. Whites abandoned their plantations,<ref name="palm-hist"/> leaving behind about ten thousand enslaved people. Several Northern charities partnered with the federal government to help these people run the cotton farms themselves under the [[Port Royal Experiment]]. Workers were paid by the pound harvested and thus became the first enslaved people freed by the Union forces to earn wages.<ref name="vcu">{{cite web|title=The Port Royal Experiment (1862–1865)|url=http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/port-royal-experiment/|website=Virginia Commonwealth University|access-date=February 15, 2017|date=February 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215124037/http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/port-royal-experiment/|archive-date=February 15, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although the state was not a major battleground, the war ruined the state's economy. More than 60,000 soldiers from South Carolina served in the war,<ref name="palm-hist">{{cite web|title=Civil War in South Carolina|url=http://www.sc150civilwar.palmettohistory.org/edu/cw-sc.htm|website=Palmetto History|access-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205833/http://www.sc150civilwar.palmettohistory.org/edu/cw-sc.htm|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> with the state losing an estimated 18,000 troops.<ref>{{cite book|first=Walter B.|last=Edgar|title=South Carolina: A History|location=Columbia, South Carolina|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|year=1998|page=375}}</ref> Though no regiments of [[Southern Unionists]] were formed in South Carolina due to a smaller unionist presence, the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]] region of the state would be a haven for Confederate Army deserters and resisters, as they used the Upstate topography and traditional community relations to resist service in the Confederate ranks.<ref>Carey, Liz. (July 5, 2014). [https://archive.independentmail.com/news/local/the-dark-corner-of-south-carolina-ep-413292035-345851752.html/ The dark corner of South Carolina]. ''Independent Mail''. Retrieved November 1, 2023.</ref> At the end of the war in early 1865, the troops of General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] marched across the state devastating plantations and most of Columbia. South Carolina would be readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868.

===Reconstruction 1865–1877===
{{Main|Reconstruction era}}
[[File:Joseph Rainey.jpg|upright=1.0|thumb|[[Joseph Rainey]] was the first black person to serve in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. He represented [[South Carolina's 1st congressional district|SC's 1st congressional district]].]]
In ''[[Texas vs. White]]'' (1869), the Supreme Court ruled the ordinances of secession (including that of South Carolina) were invalid, and thus those states had never left the Union. However, South Carolina did not regain representation in Congress until that date.

Until the [[1868 United States presidential election|1868 presidential election]], South Carolina's legislature, not the voters, chose the state's electors for the presidential election. South Carolina was the last state to choose its electors in this manner. During Reconstruction, South Carolina maintained a majority-black government, which lasted until approximately 1876 when Democrats and former Confederates committed voter fraud to regain power.<ref name="Richardson2018">{{cite web |last=Richardson |first=Heather |date=16 March 2018 |title=South Carolina's Remarkable Democratic Experiment of 1868 |url=http://werehistory.org/south-carolinas-remarkable-democratic-experiment/ |access-date=26 May 2020 |website=We're History}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The First South Carolina Legislature After the 1867 Reconstruction Acts |url=https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/first-south-carolina-legislature |access-date=26 May 2020 |website=Facing History and Ourselves|date=March 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>Lawrence Edward Carter. ''Walking Integrity: Benjamin Elijah Mays, Mentor to Martin Luther King Jr.''. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1998, pp. 43–44</ref> On October 19, 1871, President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] suspended [[habeas corpus]] in nine South Carolina counties under the authority of the [[Ku Klux Klan Act]].<ref name="McFeely pp. 367-374">McFeely (1981), ''Grant: A Biography'', pp. 367–374</ref> Led by Grant's Attorney General [[Amos T. Akerman]], hundreds of Klansmen were arrested while 2,000 Klansmen fled the state.<ref name="McFeely pp. 367-374"/> This was done to suppress Klan violence against African-American and white voters in the South.<ref name="McFeely pp. 367-374"/> In the mid-to-late 1870s, white Democrats used paramilitary groups such as the [[Red Shirts (Southern United States)|Red Shirts]] to intimidate and terrorize black voters. They regained political control of the state under conservative white "[[Redeemers]]" and pro-business [[Bourbon Democrats]]. In 1877, the federal government withdrew its troops as part of the [[Compromise of 1877]] that ended Reconstruction.

===Populist and agrarian movements===

The state became a hotbed of racial and economic tensions during the Populist and Agrarian movements of the 1890s. A Republican-Populist biracial coalition took power away from White Democrats temporarily. To prevent that from happening again, Democrats gained passage of a new constitution in 1895 which effectively [[Disfranchisement#United States|disenfranchised]] almost all blacks and many poor whites by new requirements for [[Poll tax (United States)|poll taxes]], residency, and [[literacy test]]s that dramatically reduced the voter rolls. By 1896, only 5,500 black voters remained on the voter registration rolls, although they constituted a majority of the state's population.<ref>[https://ssrn.com/abstract=224731 Richard H. Pildes, "Democracy, Anti-Democracy, and the Canon", ''Constitutional Commentary'', Vol.17, 2000, p.12] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121211213/https://ssrn.com/abstract=224731 |date=November 21, 2018 }}. Retrieved March 10, 2008.</ref> The 1900 census demonstrated the extent of disenfranchisement: the 782,509 African American citizens comprised more than 58% of the state's population, but they were essentially without any political representation in the [[Jim Crow]] society.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823030234/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php |date=August 23, 2007 }}. Retrieved March 15, 2008.</ref>

The 1895 constitution overturned local representative government, reducing the role of the counties to agents of state government, effectively ruled by the General Assembly, through the legislative delegations for each county. As each county had one state senator, that person had considerable power. The counties lacked representative government until home rule was passed in 1975.<ref name="governance">[http://www.charlestoncounty.org/MAP/FinalReport/pages219-238.pdf Charlie B. Tyler, "The South Carolina Governance Project"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629080345/http://www.charlestoncounty.org/MAP/FinalReport/pages219-238.pdf |date=June 29, 2019 }}, University of South Carolina, 1998, pp. 221–222</ref>

Governor [[Benjamin Tillman|"Pitchfork Ben" Tillman]], a Populist, led the effort to disenfranchise the blacks and poor whites, although he controlled Democratic state politics from the 1890s to 1910 with a base among poor white farmers. During the constitutional convention in 1895, he supported another man's proposal that the state adopt a [[one-drop rule]], as well as prohibit marriage between whites and anyone with any known African ancestry.

Some members of the convention realized prominent white families with some African ancestry could be affected by such legislation. In terms similar to a debate in Virginia in 1853 on a similar proposal (which was dropped), George Dionysius Tillman said in opposition:
<blockquote>If the law is made as it now stands respectable families in [[Aiken County, South Carolina|Aiken]], [[Barnwell County, South Carolina|Barnwell]], [[Colleton County, South Carolina|Colleton]], and [[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg]] will be denied the right to intermarry among people with whom they are now associated and identified. At least one hundred families would be affected to my knowledge. They have sent good soldiers to the Confederate Army, and are now landowners and taxpayers. Those men served creditably, and it would be unjust and disgraceful to embarrass them in this way. It is a scientific fact that there is not one full-blooded Caucasian on the floor of this convention. Every member has in him a certain mixture of{{nbsp}}... colored blood. The pure-blooded white has needed and received a certain infusion of darker blood to give him readiness and purpose. It would be a cruel injustice and the source of endless litigation, of scandal, horror, feud, and bloodshed to undertake to annul or forbid marriage for a remote, perhaps obsolete trace of Negro blood. The doors would be open to scandal, malice and greed; to statements on the witness stand that the father or grandfather or grandmother had said that A or B had Negro blood in their veins. Any man who is half a man would be ready to blow up half the world with dynamite to prevent or avenge attacks upon the honor of his mother in the legitimacy or purity of the blood of his father.<ref>"All Niggers, More or Less!" ''The News and Courier'', Oct. 17 1895, 5</ref><ref>Joel Williamson, ''New People: Miscegenation and Mulattoes in the United States'' (New York, 1980) 93</ref><ref>Lerone Bennett Jr., ''Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America'', 6th rev. ed. (New York, 1993) 319</ref><ref>Theodore D. Jervey, ''The Slave Trade: Slavery and Color'' (Columbia: The State Company, 1925), p. 199</ref></blockquote>

The state postponed such a one-drop law for years. Virginian legislators adopted a one-drop law in 1924, forgetting that their state had many people of mixed ancestry among those who identified as white.

===20th century===
[[File:Some of the children who go to school half a day.jpg|thumb|Children workers {{circa|1912}}. Some children who worked in South Carolina textile mills went to school half a day and worked before and after school—and eight or nine hours on Saturday.]]
Early in the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thriving [[textile industry]]. The state also converted its main agricultural base from cotton, to more profitable crops. It would attract large [[military base]]s during [[World War I]], through its majority Democratic congressional delegation, part of the one-party [[Solid South]] following disfranchisement of blacks.

In the late 19th century, South Carolina would implement [[List of Jim Crow law examples by state|Jim Crow laws]] which enforced [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] policies until the 1960s. During the early-to-mid part of the 20th century, millions of African Americans left South Carolina and other southern states for jobs, opportunities, and relative freedom in U.S. cities outside the former Confederate states. In total from 1910 to 1970, 6.5&nbsp;million blacks left the South in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]]. By 1930, South Carolina had a white majority population for the first time since 1708.<ref name="info">[http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/south-carolina-history.html "South Carolina: The Decline of Agriculture and the Rise of Jim Crowism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210220713/http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/south-carolina-history.html |date=December 10, 2014 }}, infoplease (''Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia''), 2012</ref> South Carolina was one of several states that initially rejected the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Nineteenth Amendment]] (1920) giving women the right to vote. The South Carolina legislature later ratified the amendment on July 1, 1969.

{{See also|South Carolina in the civil rights movement}}
The struggle of the [[civil rights movement]] took place in South Carolina, as they did in other Southern states and elsewhere within the country. South Carolina would experience a much less violent movement than other Deep South states.<ref>Mickey, Robert; ''Paths Out of Dixie: The Democratization of Authoritarian Enclaves in America's Deep South'', 1944–1972, p. 29 {{ISBN|0691149631}}</ref> This tranquil transition from a [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]] society occurred because the state's white and black leaders were willing to accept slow change, rather than being utterly unwilling to accept change at all.<ref>Edgar, Walter; ''South Carolina in the Modern Age'', pp. 104, 107 {{ISBN|087249831X}}</ref> Other South Carolina political figures, like Sen. [[Strom Thurmond]], on the other hand, were among the nation's most radical and effective opponents of social equality and integration.

During the mid-to-late 20th century, South Carolina started to see economic progress first in the textile industry and then in manufacturing. Tourism also started to form into a major industry within the state during the 20th century, especially in areas such as [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]].<ref>[https://guides.statelibrary.sc.gov/sc-information/history-culture History and Culture - South Carolina State Library]. Retrieved June 24, 2021.</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:Myrtle Beach, North Ocean Boulevard 100420-F-4155R-021.jpg|thumb|right|North Ocean Boulevard in [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]], 2010]]
As the 21st century progresses, South Carolina has attracted new business by having a 5% [[corporate income tax]] rate, no state [[property tax]], no local income tax, no inventory tax, no [[sales tax]] on manufacturing equipment, industrial power or materials for finished products; no wholesale tax, and no unitary tax on worldwide profits.<ref>[http://sccommerce.com/sc-advantage/pro-business-environment Pro Business Environment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119184652/http://sccommerce.com/sc-advantage/pro-business-environment |date=January 19, 2016 }} SC Department of Commerce, Accessed on May 10, 2012</ref>

South Carolina was one of the first states to stop paying for "early elective" deliveries of [[Infant|babies]], under either [[Medicaid]] and private insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galewitz |first=Phil |date=December 8, 2014 |title=Despite Decline, Elective Early Births Remain A Medicaid Problem |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/12/08/369378083/despite-decline-elective-early-births-remain-a-medicaid-problem |access-date=September 7, 2023 |website=NPR }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dahlen |first1=Heather M. |last2=McCullough |first2=J. Mac |last3=Fertig |first3=Angela R. |last4=Dowd |first4=Bryan E. |last5=Riley |first5=William J. |date=March 2017 |title=Texas Medicaid Payment Reform: Fewer Early Elective Deliveries And Increased Gestational Age And Birthweight |url=http://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0910 |journal=Health Affairs |language=en |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=460–467 |doi=10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0910 |pmid=28264947 |issn=0278-2715|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The term early elective is defined as a [[labor induction]] or [[Cesarean section]] between 37 and 39 weeks. The change was intended to result in healthier [[Infant|babies]] and fewer costs for the state of South Carolina.<ref name="urlSC DHHS">{{cite web|url=http://www.scdhhs.gov/press-release/non-payment-policy-deliveries-prior-39-weeks-birth-outcomes-initiative|title=Non Payment Policy for Deliveries Prior to 39 weeks: Birth Outcomes Initiative &#124; SC DHHS|access-date=December 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216075303/http://www.scdhhs.gov/press-release/non-payment-policy-deliveries-prior-39-weeks-birth-outcomes-initiative|archive-date=December 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

On November 20, 2014, South Carolina became the 35th state to legalize [[Same-sex marriage in South Carolina|same-sex marriages]], when a federal court ordered the change.<ref>WCNC [http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/19/gay-marriage-begins-in-south-carolina/19285427/ Same-sex marriage begins in South Carolina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129045149/https://www.wcnc.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/19/gay-marriage-begins-in-south-carolina/19285427/ |date=November 29, 2014 }} 2014/11/19</ref>

As of 2022, South Carolina had one of the lowest percentages among all states of women in state legislature, at 17.6% (only five states had a lower percentage; the national average is 30.7%; with the highest percentage being in [[Nevada]] at 61.9%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Women in State Legislatures for 2022 |url=https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislators/womens-legislative-network/women-in-state-legislatures-for-2022.aspx |website=ncsl.org |publisher=National Conference for State Legislatures |access-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805152241/https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislators/womens-legislative-network/women-in-state-legislatures-for-2022.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=5|stroke-width=2|id=Q1456|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of South Carolina}}

===Regions===
{{Main|Geographical regions of South Carolina}}
The state can be divided into three natural geographic areas which then can be subdivided into five distinct cultural regions. The natural environment is divided from east to west by the [[Atlantic coastal plain]], the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]], and the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]]. Culturally, the coastal plain is split into the [[South Carolina Lowcountry|Lowcountry]] and the [[Pee Dee]] region. While, the upper [[Piedmont, South Carolina|Piedmont]] region is referred to as the Piedmont and the lower Piedmont region is referred to as the Midlands. The area surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains is known as the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]].<ref name="netstate">{{cite web|title=The Geography of South Carolina|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/sc_geography.htm|access-date=February 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307115338/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/sc_geography.htm|archive-date=March 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Atlantic Coastal Plain makes up two-thirds of the state. Its eastern border is the [[Sea Islands]], a chain of tidal and [[barrier islands]]. The border between the lowcountry and the upcountry is defined by the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line]], which marks the limit of navigable rivers.

Altogether, the state has a total area of {{convert|32020.49|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|30060.70|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1959.79|sqmi}} (6.12%) is water.<ref name="2010TotalArea">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-1.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|pages=V&ndash;2, 1 & 41 (Tables 1 & 18)|date=September 2012|access-date=February 7, 2014}}</ref>

===Atlantic Coastal Plain===
{{Main|South Carolina Lowcountry}}
The Atlantic [[Coastal plain]] consists of sediments and sedimentary rocks that range in age from Cretaceous to Present. The terrain is relatively flat and the soil is composed predominantly of sand, silt, and clay. Areas with better drainage make excellent farmland, though some land is swampy. An unusual feature of the coastal plain is a large number of low-relief topographic depressions named [[Carolina bay]]s. The bays tend to be oval, lining up in a northwest to southeast orientation. The eastern portion of the coastal plain contains many [[salt marsh]]es and [[estuary|estuaries]], as well as natural ports such as [[Georgetown, South Carolina|Georgetown]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. The [[Nature|natural]] areas of the coastal plain are part of the [[Middle Atlantic coastal forests]] [[ecoregion]].<ref name="ecoregions">{{cite journal|author1=Olson, D. M |author2=E. Dinerstein |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal=[[BioScience]] |year=2001 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=933–938 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 |display-authors=etal  |doi-access=free  | issn = 0006-3568 }}</ref>

The [[Sandhills (Carolina)|Sandhills]] or Carolina Sandhills is a {{convert|10–35|mi|km|abbr=on}} wide region within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, along the [[wikt:inland|inland]] margin of this province. The Carolina Sandhills are interpreted as eolian (wind-blown) sand sheets and dunes that were mobilized episodically from approximately 75,000 to 6,000 years ago. Most of the published luminescence ages from the sand are coincident with the last glaciation, a time when the southeastern United States was characterized by colder air temperatures and stronger winds.<ref>Swezey, C.S., Fitzwater, B.A., Whittecar, G.R., Mahan, S.A., Garrity, C.P., Aleman Gonzalez, W.B., and Dobbs, K.M., 2016, "The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States": Quaternary Research, v. 86, p. 271–286; www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research</ref>

===Piedmont===
Much of Piedmont consists of Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks, and the landscape has relatively low relief. Due to the changing economics of farming, much of the land is now reforested in [[loblolly pine]] for the lumber industry. These forests are part of the [[Southeastern mixed forests]] ecoregion.<ref name="ecoregions" /> At the southeastern edge of Piedmont is the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|fall line]], where rivers drop to the coastal plain. The fall line was an important early source of water power. Mills built to this resource encouraged the growth of several cities, including the capital, [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]. The larger rivers are navigable up to the fall line, providing a trade route for mill towns.

The northwestern part of Piedmont is also known as the Foothills. The [[South Carolina Highway 11|Cherokee Parkway]] is a scenic driving route through this area. This is where [[Table Rock State Park (South Carolina)|Table Rock State Park]] is located.

===Blue Ridge===
[[File:Pinnacle Mountain (South Carolina) viewed from Caesars Head, June 2019.jpg|thumb|[[Pinnacle Mountain (South Carolina)|Pinnacle Mountain]] viewed from [[Caesars Head]]]]
The Blue Ridge consists primarily of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, and the landscape has relatively high relief. The Blue Ridge Region contains an [[escarpment]] of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] that continues into [[North Carolina]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] as part of the southern [[Appalachian Mountains]]. [[Sassafras Mountain]], South Carolina's highest point at {{convert|3560|ft|m}}, is in this area.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web|date=April 29, 2005 |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=November 7, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116113632/http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008 }}</ref> Also in this area is [[Caesars Head State Park]]. The environment here is that of the [[Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests]] ecoregion.<ref name="ecoregions" /> The [[Chattooga River]], on the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is a favorite [[whitewater rafting]] destination.

===Lakes===
{{Main|List of lakes in South Carolina}}
[[File:Lake_Hartwell_reservoir_in_Georgia_and_South_Carolina_includes_parts_of_the_Savannah,_Tugaloo,_and_Seneca_rivers_01.jpg|thumb|Lake Hartwell includes parts of the [[Savannah River|Savannah]], [[Tugaloo River|Tugaloo]], and [[Seneca River (South Carolina)|Seneca]] rivers]]
South Carolina has several major lakes covering over {{convert|683|sqmi|km2}}. All major lakes in South Carolina are human-made. The following are the lakes listed by size.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sciway.net/tourism/lakes.html |title=South Carolina SC – Lakes |publisher=Sciway.net |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918102802/http://www.sciway.net/tourism/lakes.html |archive-date=September 18, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ofr">{{cite web|title=Limnological Conditions in Lake William C. Bowen|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1268/pdf/ofr20081268.pdf|access-date=April 8, 2017|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref>
* [[Lake Marion (South Carolina)|Lake Marion]] {{convert|110000|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Strom Thurmond]] (also known as [[Clarks Hill Lake]]) {{convert|71100|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Moultrie]] {{convert|60000|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Hartwell]] {{convert|56000|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Murray (South Carolina)|Lake Murray]] {{convert|50000|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Richard B. Russell Lake|Russell Lake]] {{convert|26650|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Keowee]] {{convert|18372|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Wylie]] {{convert|13400|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Wateree]] {{convert|13250|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Greenwood (South Carolina)|Lake Greenwood]] {{convert|11400|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Jocassee]] {{convert|7500|acre|km2|-1}}
* [[Lake Bowen]] {{Convert|1534|acres|km2|abbr=}}

===Earthquakes===
{{Main|List of earthquakes in South Carolina}}
South Carolina is the most seismically active state on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Nevin |title=DHEC answers: Is mining causing the recent earthquakes? |url=https://www.wistv.com/2022/06/30/dhec-answers-questions-mining-recent-earthquakes/ |website=WISTV |date=June 30, 2022 |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> Between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, there were 74 recorded earthquakes in South Carolina,<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Recent Earthquakes |url=https://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/recent-earthquakes.html |website=SCDNR Geological Survey |publisher=South Carolina Department of Natural Resources |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> six of which exceeded a 3 magnitude.<ref>{{cite web |title=Recent Earthquakes Near South Carolina, United States |url=https://earthquaketrack.com/p/united-states/south-carolina/recent?mag_filter=3 |website=Earthquaketracker.com |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> In 2021 and 2022, most of which were concentrated in [[Kershaw County, South Carolina|Kershaw County]] and the coastal area of [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]].<ref name="auto1"/> The Charleston area demonstrates the greatest frequency of earthquakes in South Carolina. South Carolina averages 10–15 earthquakes a year below magnitude{{nbsp}}3 (FEMA). The [[1886 Charleston earthquake|Charleston earthquake of 1886]] was the largest quake ever to hit the eastern United States. The 7.0–7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 60 people and destroyed much of the city.<ref>Abridged from ''Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised)'', by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.</ref> Faults in this region are difficult to study at the surface due to thick sedimentation on top of them. Many of the ancient faults are within plates rather than along plate boundaries.

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of South Carolina}}
[[File:SCprecipitation.gif|thumb|left|A map of the average annual [[precipitation]] in South Carolina]]
South Carolina has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa''), although high-elevation areas in the Upstate area have fewer subtropical characteristics than areas on the Atlantic coastline. In the summer, South Carolina is hot and humid, with daytime temperatures averaging between {{convert|86|-|93|F|C}} in most of the state and overnight lows averaging {{convert|70|-|75|F|C}} on the coast and from {{convert|66|-|73|F|C}} inland. Winter temperatures are much less uniform in South Carolina. Coastal areas of the state have very mild winters, with high temperatures approaching an average of {{convert|60|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and overnight lows around 40&nbsp;°F (5–8&nbsp;°C). [[File:South Carolina Snow Plow.png|thumb|right|A snow plow in South Carolina. The upstate and mountainous region of the state receives the most measurable snowfall.]]Inland, the average January overnight low is around {{convert|32|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in Columbia and temperatures well below freezing in the Upstate. While precipitation is abundant the entire year in almost the entire state, the coast tends to have a slightly wetter summer, while inland, the spring and autumn transitions tend to be the wettest periods and winter the driest season, with November being the driest month. The highest recorded temperature is {{convert|113|F|C}} in [[Johnston, South Carolina|Johnston]] and Columbia on June 29, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature is {{convert|-19|F|C}} at [[Caesars Head]] on January 21, 1985.

Snowfall in South Carolina is minimal in the lower elevation areas south and east of Columbia. It is not uncommon for areas along the southernmost coast to not receive measurable snowfall for several years. In the Piedmont and Foothills, especially along and north of Interstate 85, measurable snowfall occurs one to three times in most years. Annual average total amounts range from 2 to 6 inches. The Blue Ridge Escarpment receives the most average total measurable snowfall; amounts range from 7 to 12 inches.

South Carolina averages around 50 days of [[thunderstorm]] activity a year. This is less than some of the states further south, and it is slightly less vulnerable to [[tornado]]es than the states which border on the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Some notable tornadoes have struck South Carolina, and the state averages around 14 tornadoes annually. [[Hail]] is common with many of the thunderstorms in the state, as there is often a marked contrast in temperature of warmer ground conditions compared to the cold air aloft.<ref name="Annual average number of tornadoes">[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif NOAA National Climatic Data Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |date=October 16, 2011 }}. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.</ref>

====Hurricanes and tropical cyclones====
{{Main article|List of South Carolina hurricanes}}
[[File:Hugo 1989-09-21 1900Z.png|thumb|Category 4 Hurricane Hugo in 1989]]
The state is occasionally affected by [[tropical cyclone]]s. This is an annual concern during hurricane season, which lasts from June{{nbsp}}1 to November 30. The peak time of vulnerability for the southeast Atlantic coast is from early August to early October, during the [[Cape Verde hurricane]] season. Memorable [[hurricane]]s to hit South Carolina include [[Hurricane Hazel|Hazel]] (1954), [[Hurricane Hugo|Hugo]] (1989), and [[Hurricane Florence|Florence]] (2018).

==== Climate change ====
{{Excerpt|Climate change in South Carolina}}South Carolina released its Climate, Energy, and Commerce Committee Final Report in 2008. The report recommends a voluntary economy-wide goal of reducing emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2020. Key policy recommendations in the report include developing renewable portfolio standards, increasing use of local agricultural products, and increasing advanced recycling and composting.

===Federal lands in South Carolina===
{{Main|List of federal lands in South Carolina}}
[[File:Fort-sumter-from-battery-sc1.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Fort Sumter National Monument]], site of the first battle of the [[American Civil War]], in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]]]
* [[Charles Pinckney National Historic Site]] at [[Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina|Mt. Pleasant]]
* [[Congaree National Park]] in [[Hopkins, South Carolina|Hopkins]]
* [[Cowpens National Battlefield]] near [[Chesnee, South Carolina|Chesnee]]
* [[Fort Moultrie National Monument]] at [[Sullivan's Island, South Carolina|Sullivan's Island]]
* [[Fort Sumter National Monument]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston Harbor]]
* [[Kings Mountain National Military Park]] at [[Blacksburg, South Carolina|Blacksburg]]
* [[Ninety Six National Historic Site]] in [[Ninety Six, South Carolina|Ninety Six]]
* [[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]]
* [[Fort Jackson (South Carolina)|Fort Jackson]] near [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]
* [[Joint Base Charleston]] near [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]
* [[Shaw Air Force Base]] near [[Sumter, South Carolina|Sumter]]
* [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island]] at [[Parris Island, South Carolina|Parris Island]]

===Flora and fauna===
{{Further|List of mammals of South Carolina}}South Carolina is home to two dominant ecosystems, the bottomlands, which consist of floodplains and creeks, and the toplands. The floodplains contain large tracts of old and mature second growth cypress and tupelo forest. The uplands are home to longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, and mixed hardwood forests.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The "Green Heart of South Carolina" Beats in the Congaree Biosphere Region (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cong-br.htm |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> The Longleaf Pine are an important part of South Carolina's coastal ecosystem. They improve soil, water, and air quality while providing a habitat for deer and songbirds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Longleaf Pine Initiative in South Carolina |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/sc/programs/landscape/?cid=nrcs142p2_015547 |url-status=dead |website=Natural Resources Conservation Service South Carolina |access-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701193933/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/sc/programs/landscape/?cid=nrcs142p2_015547 }}</ref> These forests are endangered by logging for agriculture and development.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=April 4, 2022 |title=South Carolina Wants You To Recycle Your Empty Oyster Shells |url=https://www.saveur.com/food/south-carolina-oyster-sustainability/ |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=Saveur |language=en-US}}</ref>

Oysters are a critical part of South Carolina's coastal ecology. They serve a dual function, filtering the water and forming reefs that provide a habitat for small fish and crabs. Oysters are imperiled by overharvesting because young oysters need older oysters to latch on to as they age.<ref name=":1" /> South Carolina is home to many shorebirds including various [[sandpiper]]s and [[ibis]]es.<ref>{{Cite web |title=White Ibis |url=https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/show/naturenotes/2021-08-20/white-ibis |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=South Carolina Public Radio |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=SCDNR - Coastal Birds in South Carolina - Shorebirds |url=https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/species/coastalbirds/shorebirds/index.html |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=www.dnr.sc.gov}}</ref> The state serves as a stopover site for birds migrating farther south and a wintering ground for birds that do not fly as far south.<ref name=":2" />

===Major cities===
{{See also|List of municipalities in South Carolina}}
{{Largest cities
| country = South Carolina
| stat_ref = (2023 [[Population Estimates Program|census estimate]])<ref name="CensusListCount">{{Cite web |last=Brinkhoff |first=Thomas |date=June 7, 2024 |title=USA: South Carolina |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/usa/cities/southcarolina/ |access-date=August 30, 2024 |website=City Population}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carney |first=Kristen |date=June 20, 2024 |title=South Carolina Cities by Population (2024) |url=https://www.southcarolina-demographics.com/cities_by_population |access-date=August 30, 2024 |website=www.southcarolina-demographics.com}}</ref>
| div_link = Counties of South Carolina{{!}}County
| city_1 = Charleston, South Carolina{{!}}Charleston
| div_1 = Charleston County, South Carolina{{!}}Charleston
| pop_1 = 155,369
| img_1 = Broad Street (Charleston, South Carolina) 02.JPG
| city_2 = Columbia, South Carolina{{!}}Columbia
| div_2 = Richland County, South Carolina{{!}}Richland
| pop_2 = 142,416
| img_2 = Fallskyline of Columbia SC from Arsenal Hill.jpg
| city_3 = North Charleston, South Carolina{{!}}North Charleston
| div_3 = Charleston County, South Carolina{{!}}Charleston
| pop_3 = 121,469
| img_3 = City of North Charleston city hall.JPG
| city_4 = Mount Pleasant, South Carolina{{!}}Mount Pleasant
| div_4 = Charleston County, South Carolina{{!}}Charleston
| pop_4 = 95,232
| img_4 = BooneHall2.jpg
| city_5 = Rock Hill, South Carolina{{!}}Rock Hill
| div_5 = York County, South Carolina{{!}}York
| pop_5 = 75,654
| city_6 = Greenville, South Carolina{{!}}Greenville
| div_6 = Greenville County, South Carolina{{!}}Greenville
| pop_6 = 72,824
| city_7 = Summerville, South Carolina{{!}}Summerville
| div_7 = Dorchester County, South Carolina{{!}}Dorchester
| pop_7 = 51,884
| city_8 = Goose Creek, South Carolina{{!}}Goose Creek
| div_8 = Berkeley County, South Carolina{{!}}Berkeley
| pop_8 = 49,249
| city_9 = Greer, South Carolina{{!}}Greer
| div_9 = Greenville County, South Carolina{{!}}Greenville
| pop_9 = 44,387
| city_10 = Sumter, South Carolina{{!}}Sumter
| div_10 = Sumter County, South Carolina{{!}}Sumter
| pop_10 = 42,766
| city_11 = Florence, South Carolina{{!}}Florence
| div_11 = Florence County, South Carolina{{!}}Florence
| pop_11 = 40,609
| city_12 = Myrtle Beach, South Carolina{{!}}Myrtle Beach
| div_12 = Horry County, South Carolina{{!}}Horry
| pop_12 = 39,697
| city_13 = Spartanburg, South Carolina{{!}}Spartanburg
| div_13 = Spartanburg County, South Carolina{{!}}Spartanburg
| pop_13 = 39,040
| city_14 = Hilton Head Island, South Carolina{{!}}Hilton Head Island
| div_14 = Beaufort County, South Carolina{{!}}Beaufort
| pop_14 = 38,097
| city_15 = Bluffton, South Carolina{{!}}Bluffton
| div_15 = Beaufort County, South Carolina{{!}}Beaufort
| pop_15 = 35,243
| city_16 = Fort Mill, South Carolina{{!}}Fort Mill
| div_16 = York County, South Carolina{{!}}York
| pop_16 = 33,626
| city_17 = Aiken, South Carolina{{!}}Aiken
| div_17 = Aiken County, South Carolina{{!}}Aiken
| pop_17 = 32,947
| city_18 = Anderson, South Carolina{{!}}Anderson
| div_18 = Anderson County, South Carolina{{!}}Anderson
| pop_18 = 29,980
| city_19 = Mauldin, South Carolina{{!}}Mauldin
| div_19 = Greenville County, South Carolina{{!}}Greenville
| pop_19 = 28,010
| city_20 = Conway, South Carolina{{!}}Conway
| div_20 = Horry County, South Carolina{{!}}Horry
| pop_20 = 27,985
}}

===Statistical areas===
{{See also|South Carolina statistical areas}}
The following tables show the major [[Metropolitan statistical area|metropolitan]] and [[combined statistical area]]s of South Carolina. Some statistical areas of South Carolina overlap with neighboring states of North Carolina and Georgia.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank
! Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)<ref name="2023OMB">{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2023 |title=OMB Bulletin No. 23-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OMB-Bulletin-23-01.pdf |access-date=August 10, 2023 |website=[[United States Office of Management and Budget]]}}</ref>
! Population (2023)<ref name="PopEstCBSA">{{cite web |date=March 14, 2024 |title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html#v2023 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division}}</ref>
! Counties
|-
|1
| [[Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA|Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC]]
| align="center" |2,805,115
| [[Chester County, South Carolina|Chester]], [[Lancaster County, South Carolina|Lancaster]], [[York County, South Carolina|York]] 
|-
|2
| [[Upstate South Carolina|Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC]]
| align="center" |975,480
| [[Anderson County, South Carolina|Anderson]], [[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville]], [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens]], [[Pickens County, South Carolina|Pickens]]
|-
|3
| [[Columbia metropolitan area (South Carolina)|Columbia, SC]]
| align="center" |858,302
| [[Calhoun County, South Carolina|Calhoun]], [[Fairfield County, South Carolina|Fairfield]], [[Kershaw County, South Carolina|Kershaw]], [[Lexington County, South Carolina|Lexington]], [[Richland County, South Carolina|Richland]], [[Saluda County, South Carolina|Saluda]]
|-
|4
| [[Charleston metropolitan area, South Carolina|Charleston-North Charleston, SC]]
| align="center" |849,417
| [[Berkeley County, South Carolina|Berkeley]], [[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[Dorchester County, South Carolina|Dorchester]]
|-
|5
|[[Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area|Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC]]
| align="center" |629,429
|[[Aiken County, South Carolina|Aiken]], [[Edgefield County, South Carolina|Edgefield]]
|-
|6
| [[Myrtle Beach metropolitan area|Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC]]
| align="center" |397,478
| [[Horry County, South Carolina|Horry]]
|-
|7
| [[Spartanburg County, South Carolina|Spartanburg, SC]]
| align="center" |383,327
| [[Spartanburg County, South Carolina|Spartanburg]]
|-
|8
| [[Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area|Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC]]
| align="center" |232,523
| [[Beaufort County, South Carolina|Beaufort]], [[Jasper County, South Carolina|Jasper]]
|-
|9
| [[Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area|Florence, SC]]
| align="center" |199,630
| [[Darlington County, South Carolina|Darlington]], [[Florence County, South Carolina|Florence]]
|-
|10
| [[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter, SC]]
| align="center" |104,165
| [[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter]]
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank
! Combined statistical area (CSA)<ref name="2023OMB"/>
! Population (2023)<ref name="PopEstCBSA"/>
! Counties
|-
|1
| [[Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA|Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC]]
| align="center" |3,387,115
| [[Chester County, South Carolina|Chester]], [[Lancaster County, South Carolina|Lancaster]], [[York County, South Carolina|York]] 
|-
|2
| [[Upstate South Carolina|Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC]]
| align="center" |1,590,636
| [[Abbeville County, South Carolina|Abbeville]], [[Anderson County, South Carolina|Anderson]], [[Cherokee County, South Carolina|Cherokee]], [[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville]], [[Greenwood County, South Carolina|Greenwood]], [[Laurens County, South Carolina|Laurens]], [[Oconee County, South Carolina|Oconee]], [[Pickens County, South Carolina|Pickens]], [[Spartanburg County, South Carolina|Spartanburg]], [[Union County, South Carolina|Union]]
|-
|3
| [[Columbia metropolitan area, South Carolina|Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC]]
| align="center" |1,084,112
| [[Calhoun County, South Carolina|Calhoun]], [[Fairfield County, South Carolina|Fairfield]], [[Kershaw County, South Carolina|Kershaw]], [[Lexington County, South Carolina|Lexington]], [[Newberry County, South Carolina|Newberry]], [[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg]], [[Richland County, South Carolina|Richland]], [[Saluda County, South Carolina|Saluda]]
|-
|5
| [[Myrtle Beach metropolitan area|Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC]]
| align="center" |463,209
| [[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown]], [[Horry County, South Carolina|Horry]]
|}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of South Carolina}}
{{US Census population
| 1790 = 249073
| 1800 = 345591
| 1810 = 415115
| 1820 = 502741
| 1830 = 581185
| 1840 = 594398
| 1850 = 668507
| 1860 = 703708
| 1870 = 705606
| 1880 = 995577
| 1890 = 1151149
| 1900 = 1340316
| 1910 = 1515400
| 1920 = 1683724
| 1930 = 1738765
| 1940 = 1899804
| 1950 = 2117027
| 1960 = 2382594
| 1970 = 2590516
| 1980 = 3121820
| 1990 = 3486703
| 2000 = 4012012
| 2010 = 4625364
| 2020 = 5118425
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 5478831
| estref =<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC|title=QuickFacts: South Carolina|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 7, 2024}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = Source: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census
 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|62.1|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|65.5|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|24.8|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|26.3|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|6.9|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1.7|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.3|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| Native American
|align=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|1.8|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.4|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|1.0|%|2||background:brown}}
|}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in South Carolina.png|thumb|270x270px|Ethnic origins in South Carolina]]
[[File:South Carolina Counties by race (2020 census).svg|thumb|Map of South Carolina counties by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census {{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{col-2}}

'''Black or African American'''

{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}

{{legend|#ffd966|50–60%}}

{{legend|#f1c232|60–70%}}

{{legend|#bf9000|70–80%}}

{{col-end}}|204x204px]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ '''South Carolina racial breakdown of population'''
|-
! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=October 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=July 25, 2008 }}</ref>!! 2000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/city/SC|title=Population of South Carolina: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts|website=Censusviewer.com|access-date=April 17, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=April 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/data/|title=2010 Census Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516050616/http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/|archive-date=May 16, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US45 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): South Carolina |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 17, 2024}}</ref>
!2022<ref name="US Census Bureau South Carolina Quickfacts">{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC/LFE046218|title=US Census Bureau Quickfacts: South Carolina|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || 69.0% || 67.2% || 66.2% || 63.4%
|69.0%
|-
| [[African American|Black]] || 29.8% || 29.5% || 27.9% || 25.0%
|26.0%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 0.6% || 0.9% || 1.3% || 1.8%
|2.0%
|-
| Native American || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.4% || 0.5%
|0.6%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || – || – || 0.1% || 0.1%
|0.1%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || – || 1.0% || 1.7% || 5.8%
| 2.3%
|}
[[File:South Carolina population density 2020.png|thumb|left|Population density of South Carolina]]

The 2020 census determined the state had a population of 5,118,425, a 10.7% percentage increase since the 2010 census.<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC,US/PST045219|title=QuickFacts South Carolina; UNITED STATES|website=2019 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=February 18, 2020|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123010810/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC,US/PST045219|archive-date=January 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 3,608 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf}}</ref>

At the 2020 census, the racial make up of the state was 63.4% White (62.1% [[non-Hispanic white]]), 25.0% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. 6.9% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin of any race.<ref name="2020DP1"/>

At the 2019 [[United States census|census]] estimate, South Carolina had an estimated population of 5,148,714, which is an increase of 64,587 from the prior year and an increase of 523,350, or 11.31%, since the year 2010. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,401 people, and [[Human migration|migration]] within the country produced a net increase of 115,084 people. According to the [[University of South Carolina]]'s Arnold School of Public Health, Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, South Carolina's foreign-born population grew faster than any other state between 2000 and 2005.<ref name="USC_Aug2007">[http://www.sph.sc.edu/cli/documents/CMAReport0809.pdf "The Economic and Social Implications of the Growing Latino Population in South Carolina"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624204605/http://www.sph.sc.edu/cli/documents/CMAReport0809.pdf |date=June 24, 2008 }} A Study for the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs prepared by The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, University of South Carolina, August 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2008.</ref><ref>[http://mooreschool.sc.edu/export/moore/research/presentstudy/latino/latinoreport0306.pdf ""Mexican Immigrants: The New Face of the South Carolina Labor Force"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001171702/http://mooreschool.sc.edu/export/moore/research/presentstudy/latino/latinoreport0306.pdf |date=October 1, 2008 }} Moore School of Business, Division of Research, IMBA Globilization Project, University of South Carolina, March 2006.</ref> South Carolina has banned [[Sanctuary city|sanctuary cities]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/politics/sanctuary-city-bans-states/index.html|title=Florida is about to ban sanctuary cities. At least 11 other states have, too|first=Catherine E. |last=Shoichet|website=CNN|date=May 9, 2019|access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616132746/https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/09/politics/sanctuary-city-bans-states/index.html|archive-date=June 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The top countries of origin for South Carolina's immigrants were [[Mexico]], [[India]], [[Germany]], [[Honduras]] and the [[Philippines]], {{As of|2018|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |year=2020 |title=Immigrants in South Carolina |url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_south_carolina.pdf |website=American Immigration Council}}</ref>

Enslaved Africans were brought to the state during the [[Atlantic slave trade|slave trade]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powers |first=Bernard E. Jr. |date=April 15, 2016 |title=African Americans |url=https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/african-americans/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |website=South Carolina Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> There is also a [[Gullah]] community in South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bah |first=M. Alpha |date=May 17, 2016 |title=Gullah |url=https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/gullah/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |website=South Carolina Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, there is one federally recognized tribe in South Carolina, the Catawba Indian Nation, and 24,303 identified as being Native American alone, and 83,808 did in combination with one or more other races in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html}}</ref>

<div class="floatright" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #a2a9b1;	border-spacing: 3px; background-color: #f8f9fa; padding:0.5em;">
'''Legend'''
{{legend|#224192|African American}}

{{legend|#228b22|[[European American]]}}

{{legend|#ff7538|Other}}
</div>

{{clear left}}
'''Historical South Carolina racial breakdown of population'''<ref name="rogersJr">{{cite book | first1 = George C. Jr. | last1 = Rogers | first2 = C. James | last2 = Taylor | title = A South Carolina Chronology 1497–1992 | year = 1994 | publisher=University of South Carolina Press | isbn = 0-87249-971-5 }}</ref>
{{Graph:Chart
 | width = 600
 | height= 300
 | type = line
 | interpolate = basis
 | xType = integer
 | xAxisAngle = -40
 | xAxisFormat = 4d
 | xAxisTitle = Year
 | yAxisTitle = % Population
 | yGrid = yes
 | linewidth = 2
 | x = 1670, 1680, 1700, 1708, 1720, 1730, 1740, 1750, 1760, 1770, 1780, 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020
 | y1 = 90.3, 83.3, 56.4, 42.6, 35.1, 33.3, 33.3, 33.3, 38.1, 38.5, 46.1, 56.3, 56.8, 51.6, 47.2, 44.4, 43.6, 41.1, 41.4, 41.1, 39.3, 40.1, 41.6, 44.9, 51.4, 54.3, 57.1, 61.1, 65.1, 69.3, 68.8, 69.0, 67.2, 66.2, 63.4
 | y2 = 9.7, 16.7, 43.6, 42.8, 64.9, 66.7, 66.7, 66.7, 61.9, 61.5, 53.9, 43.7, 43.2, 48.4, 52.8, 55.6, 56.4, 58.9, 58.6, 58.9, 60.7, 59.9, 58.4, 55.1, 48.6, 45.6, 42.9, 38.8, 34.8, 30.4, 30.4, 29.8, 29.5, 27.5, 25.0
 | y3 = {{repeat|18|, }} 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01, 0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 0.3, 0.8, 1.2, 3.3, 5.9, 11.6
 | colors = #228b22, #224192, #ff7538
}}

===Languages===
Many indigenous languages such as Muskogean languages have disappeared. Cherokee and Catawba lasted the longest. European settlers in South Carolina spoke Spanish, French, German, Irish, English, Welsh, and Scots. Gullah is spoken in the state by African Americans. Newer residents in South Carolina speak Tagalog, Greek, Indic, Italian, Chinese, Korean or Japanese.<ref>[https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/language/#:~:text=By%20the%20late%20twentieth%20century,that%20it%20is%20still%20spoken. Language]</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious self-identification, per [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s 2022 ''American Values Survey''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in South Carolina |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-SC |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]] |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-SC |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 64
| color1 = Blue
| label2 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value2 = 20
| color2 = White
| label3 = [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value3 = 11
| color3 = Purple
| label4 = [[New Age]] 
| value4 = 3
| color4 = Red
| label5 = [[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = Teal
| label6 = [[American Jews|Judaism]]
| value6 = 1
| color6 = Pink
}}

According to the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] (ARDA), in 2010, the largest religion is Christianity, of which the largest denominations were the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 913,763 adherents, the [[United Methodist Church]] with 274,111 adherents, and the [[Roman Catholic Church]] with 181,743 adherents. Fourth-largest is the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] with 564 congregations and 121,000 members and fifth-largest is the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]] with 320 congregations and almost 100,000 members.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/45/rcms2010_45_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209211409/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/45/rcms2010_45_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2010, South Carolina was the American state with the highest per capita proportion of citizens who follow the [[Baháʼí Faith]], with 17,559 adherents,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rcms2010.org/ |title=Religious Congregations & Membership Study |publisher=Rcms2010.org |access-date=August 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822073845/http://www.rcms2010.org/ |archive-date=August 22, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> making Baháʼí the second-largest religion in the state at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140621/PC1204/140629879/1002/bahai-faith-states-second-largest-religion-teaches-oneness-of-people-and-faiths|title=Baha'i infusion Louis G. Gregory was a key Baha'i figure in Charleston|first=Jennifer Berry|last=Hawes|access-date=September 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915065020/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140621/PC1204/140629879/1002/bahai-faith-states-second-largest-religion-teaches-oneness-of-people-and-faiths|archive-date=September 15, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the [[Public Religion Research Institute]] in 2020, Christianity remained the largest religion at approximately 74% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-SC |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-SC |url-status=dead }}</ref> Among the Christian population, [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Protestantism]] remained the majority; the irreligious community was 18% of the total population. Per ARDA's 2020 religion census, Southern Baptists remained the majority with 816,405 adherents, and Roman Catholics had 407,840 adherents, followed by United Methodists at 242,467. As other Baptist denominations had from 10 to 40,000+ members individually, [[Nondenominational Christianity|nondenominational/interdenominational Protestants]] increased to 454,063 adherents.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Maps and data files for 2020 {{!}} U.S. Religion Census {{!}} Religious Statistics & Demographics |url=https://www.usreligioncensus.org/index.php/node/1639 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=www.usreligioncensus.org}}</ref>

Outside of Christianity, ARDA's 2020 study reported 6,677 [[Muslims]] in the state, and 830 [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]]; [[Reform Judaism]] consisted of 3,430 adherents. Altogether, [[Hinduism]] had 8,383 adherents.<ref name=":3" />

In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute estimated that Christians increased to 76% of the population (64% Protestant, 11% Catholic, and 1% Jehovah's Witness). The unaffiliated also increased, forming 20% of the state's population, although [[New Age]]rs constituted 3% of the state. Judaism was 1% of the total population.

==Economy==
{{See also|Economy of South Carolina|South Carolina locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Afterburn overview.jpg|thumb|A roller coaster in the South Carolina portion of [[Carowinds]]]]
* Total employment (2021): 1,936,015<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/>
* Total employer establishments (2021): 116,896<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/>

In 2019, South Carolina's GDP was $249.9&nbsp;billion, making the state the 26th largest by GDP in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regional Data GDP and Personal Income |url=https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1#reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1|access-date=June 20, 2020|website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618114130/https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1 |archive-date= June 18, 2020 }}</ref> According to the U.S. [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]], South Carolina's [[gross state product]] (GSP) was $97&nbsp;billion in 1997 and $153&nbsp;billion in 2007. Its per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) in [[chained dollars|chained 2000 dollars]] was $26,772 in 1997 and $28,894 in 2007; which represented 85% of the $31,619 per-capita real GDP for the United States overall in 1997, and 76% of the $38,020 for the U.S. in 2007. The state debt in 2012 was calculated by one source to be $22.9bn, or $7,800 per taxpayer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statedatalab.org/library/doclib/SC-2012-1.pdf|website=statedatalab.org |title=The 24th worst state |publisher=Truth in Accounting|access-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016010858/http://www.statedatalab.org/library/doclib/SC-2012-1.pdf|archive-date=October 16, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

Industrial outputs include textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, automobiles, automotive products and tourism. Major agricultural outputs of the state are tobacco, poultry, cotton, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hay, rice, and swine.<ref>[https://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/ Gross Domestic Product by State] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707055321/https://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/ |date=July 7, 2010 }}, June 5, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.bls.gov/lau/ Bls.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725005015/https://www.bls.gov/lau/ |date=July 25, 2018 }} Retrieved May 10, 2012</ref> According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of March 2012, South Carolina had 1,852,700 nonfarm jobs of which 12% are in manufacturing, 11.5% are in leisure and hospitality, 19% are in trade, transportation, and utilities, and 11.8% are in education and health services. The service sector accounts for 83.7% of the South Carolina economy.<ref>[http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.sc.htm Economy at a Glance South Carolina] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527021830/http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.sc.htm |date=May 27, 2012 }}, Accessed on May 10, 2012</ref>

Many large corporations have moved their locations to South Carolina. [[Boeing South Carolina|Boeing]] opened an aircraft manufacturing facility at [[Charleston International Airport]] in 2011, which serves as one of two final assembly sites for the [[787 Dreamliner]]. South Carolina is a right-to-work state<ref>{{cite web |url=http://righttoworkstates.org/ |title=List of Right To Work States &#124; Right to Work States Meaning |publisher=Righttoworkstates.org |access-date=December 19, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214031732/http://righttoworkstates.org/ |archive-date=December 14, 2012 }}</ref> and many businesses use staffing agencies to temporarily fill positions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2023 |title=Staffing Firms Employed 354,400 Workers in South Carolina |url=https://d2m21dzi54s7kp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2022-StateFactSheets-SC.pdf?x89578 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=American Staffing Association}}</ref> [[Domtar]], in Rock Hill, used to be the only [[Fortune 500]] company headquartered in South Carolina, but it was later moved into the [[Fortune 1000]] list.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/states/SC.html Exxon Mobil Corporation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511093101/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/states/SC.html |date=May 11, 2012 }}, Retrieved May 10, 2012</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Sam |date=June 26, 2019 |title=Can a Fortune 500 company open their headquarters in S.C.? |url=https://colatoday.6amcity.com/fortune-500-companies-columbia-sc |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=COLAtoday |language=en}}</ref> The three Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the state are Domtar, [[Sonoco Products]], and ScanSource.<ref name=":5"/>

South Carolina also benefits from foreign investment. There are 1,950 foreign-owned firms operating in South Carolina employing almost 135,000 people.<ref>[https://www.bea.gov/international/pdf/fdius_2002/A2-1_SouthCarolina-Tennessee.pdf South Carolina Tennessee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525205100/https://www.bea.gov/international/pdf/fdius_2002/A2-1_SouthCarolina-Tennessee.pdf |date=May 25, 2017 }}, Retrieved May 10, 2012</ref> Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) brought 1.06&nbsp;billion dollars to the state economy in 2010.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130117084109/http://www.upstatescalliance.com/blog/2011/12/fdi-in-south-carolina-a-five-year-report/ FDI in south Carolina a five year report], Retrieved May 10, 2012</ref> Since 1994, [[BMW]] has had a production facility in Spartanburg County near Greer and since 1996 the [[Zapp Group]] operates in Summerville near Charleston.

==Transportation and infrastructure==
[[File:Ravenel Bridge at night from Mt Pleasant.jpg|thumb|[[Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge]] from [[Charleston Harbor]]]]
The state has the fourth largest state-maintained highway system in the country, consisting of 11 [[List of Interstate Highways in South Carolina|Interstates]], [[List of numbered highways in South Carolina|numbered highways]], [[state highways]], and secondary roads, totalling approximately {{convert|41500|mi}}.<ref name="STIP">{{cite web |publisher= South Carolina Department of Transportation |url= http://www.scdot.org/inside/pdfs/stip/stip.pdf |title= SCDOT: Statewide Transportation Improvement Program |date= July 16, 2009 |access-date= June 24, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150330065035/http://www.scdot.org/inside/pdfs/STIP/stip.pdf |archive-date= March 30, 2015 |url-status= live }}</ref>

On secondary roads, South Carolina uses a numbering system to keep track of all non-interstate and primary highways that the [[South Carolina Department of Transportation]] maintains. Secondary roads are numbered by the number of the county followed by a unique number for the particular road.

===Major highways===
{{Main|South Carolina State Highway System|List of Interstate Highways in South Carolina|List of U.S. Highways in South Carolina|List of state highways in South Carolina}}

====Primary Interstates====
{{colbegin}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|20}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|26}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I-Future|73}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I-Future|74}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|77}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|85}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|95}}
* {{colend}}

====Auxiliary (three-digit) Interstates====
{{colbegin}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|126}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|185|I-Toll|185|nolink2=yes}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|385}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|520}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|526}}
* {{Jct|state=SC|I|585}}
* {{colend}}

===Rail===
{{See also|List of South Carolina railroads}}
{{South Carolina rail network}}
[[CSX Transportation]] and [[Norfolk Southern]] are the only Class I railroad companies in South Carolina, as other freight companies in the state are short lines.

[[Amtrak]] operates four passenger routes in South Carolina: the ''[[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]]'', the ''[[Palmetto (Amtrak)|Palmetto]]'', the ''[[Silver Meteor]]'', and the ''[[Silver Star (Amtrak train)|Silver Star]]''. The ''Crescent'' route serves the Upstate cities, the ''Silver Star'' serves the Midlands cities, and the ''Palmetto'' and ''Silver Meteor'' routes serve the lowcountry cities.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Station
!Connections
|-
|[[Camden (Amtrak station)|Camden]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Star}}
|-
|[[Charleston, South Carolina (Amtrak station)|North Charleston]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Palmetto}}{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Meteor}}
|-
|[[Columbia station (South Carolina)|Columbia]]
||{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Star}}
|-
|[[Clemson (Amtrak station)|Clemson]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Crescent}}
|-
|[[Denmark (Amtrak station)|Denmark]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Star}}
|-
|[[Dillon (Amtrak station)|Dillon]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Palmetto}}
|-
|[[Florence (Amtrak station)|Florence]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Palmetto}}{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Meteor}}
|-
|[[Greenville (Amtrak station)|Greenville]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Crescent}}
|-
|[[Kingstree (Amtrak station)|Kingstree]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Palmetto}}{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Meteor}}
|-
|[[Spartanburg (Amtrak station)|Spartanburg]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Crescent}}
|-
|[[Yemassee (Amtrak station)|Yemassee]]
|{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Palmetto}}{{rail color box|system=Amtrak|line=Silver Meteor}}
|}

===Major and regional airports===
{{Main|List of airports in South Carolina}}
There are seven significant airports in South Carolina, all of which act as regional airport hubs. The busiest by passenger volume is Charleston International Airport.<ref>[http://www.aci-na.aero/static/entransit/2007_PRELIMl_passenger_ranking.xls 2007 PRELIMl passenger ranking]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref>{{cbignore}} Just across the border in North Carolina is [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport]], the 30th busiest airport in the world, in terms of passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aci.aero/cda/aci/display/main/aci_content.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-57_9_2__ |title=Airports Council International |publisher=Aci.aero |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531151245/http://www.aci.aero/cda/aci/display/main/aci_content.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-57_9_2__ |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Div col}}
* [[Columbia Metropolitan Airport]] – Columbia
* [[Charleston International Airport]] – North Charleston
* [[Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport]] – Greenville/Spartanburg
* [[Florence Regional Airport]] – Florence
* [[Myrtle Beach International Airport]] – Myrtle Beach
* [[Hilton Head Airport]] – Hilton Head Island/Beaufort
* [[Rock Hill/York County Airport]] – Rock Hill
{{Div col end}}

==Education==
{{Main|Education in South Carolina}}
South Carolina has 1,167 K–12 schools in 79 school districts with an enrollment of 751,660 as of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public education in South Carolina |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Public_education_in_South_Carolina |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, South Carolina spent $11,747 per public school student.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How much money do states spend on education? |url=https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-money-do-states-spend-on-education/ |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=USAFacts |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, the average SAT score in South Carolina was 1028, in line with the national average.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Allen |title=Average SAT Scores by State (Most Recent) |url=https://blog.prepscholar.com/average-sat-scores-by-state-most-recent |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=blog.prepscholar.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

South Carolina does not currently implement [[Common Core]] in schools, having repealed the standards in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ujifusa |first=Andrew |date=2014-06-04 |title=S.C. Governor Signs Bill Requiring State to Replace Common Core |url=https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/s-c-governor-signs-bill-requiring-state-to-replace-common-core/2014/06 |access-date=2024-06-03 |work=Education Week |language=en |issn=0277-4232}}</ref>

In 2014, the [[South Carolina Supreme Court]] ruled the state had failed to provide a "minimally adequate" education to children in all parts of the state as required by the state's constitution.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Click|first1=Carolyne|last2=Hinshaw|first2=Dawn|title=SC Supreme Court finds for poor districts in 20-year-old school equity suit|url=http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article13911206.html|access-date=March 25, 2016|work=The State|date=November 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331111747/http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article13911206.html|archive-date=March 31, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

South Carolina is the only state which owns and operates a statewide school bus system. As of December 2016, the state maintains a 5,582-bus fleet with the average vehicle in service being fifteen years old (the national average is six) having logged 236,000 miles.<ref>{{cite web|title=SC should privatize school bus fleet|url=http://lowcountrysource.com/lowcountry-watchdog/sc-should-privatize-school-bus-fleet/|website=Lowcountry Source|access-date=January 24, 2017|date=December 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202013511/http://lowcountrysource.com/lowcountry-watchdog/sc-should-privatize-school-bus-fleet/|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Half of the state's school buses are more than 15 years old and some are reportedly up to 30 years old. In 2017 in the budget proposal, Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman requested the state lease to purchase 1,000 buses to replace the most decrepit vehicles. An additional 175 buses could be purchased immediately through the State Treasurer's master lease program.<ref>{{cite web|title=Update South Carolina's decrepit school bus fleet|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/update-south-carolina-s-decrepit-school-bus-fleet/article_5d83ab2a-d75c-11e6-8175-e72e167dd2f4.html|website=[[The Post and Courier]]|date=January 15, 2017 |access-date=January 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911115847/https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/update-south-carolina-s-decrepit-school-bus-fleet/article_5d83ab2a-d75c-11e6-8175-e72e167dd2f4.html|archive-date=September 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 5, 2017, the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] awarded South Carolina more than $1.1&nbsp;million to replace 57 school buses with new cleaner models through its [[Diesel Emissions Reduction Act]] program.<ref>{{cite web|title=EPA Awards South Carolina $1.1 Million For Cleaner School Buses|url=https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/news-releases/epa-awards-south-carolina-1-1-million-for-cleaner-school-buses/|website=South Carolina Department of Education|access-date=January 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202123314/https://ed.sc.gov/newsroom/news-releases/epa-awards-south-carolina-1-1-million-for-cleaner-school-buses/|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Higher education===
{{Further|List of colleges and universities in South Carolina|University of South Carolina System}}
South Carolina has diverse institutions from large state-funded research universities to small colleges that cultivate a liberal arts, religious, or military tradition. (List below sorted by year established.)
* The [[College of Charleston]], founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, is the oldest institution of higher learning in South Carolina, the 13th oldest in the United States, and the first [[municipal college]] in the country. The college is in company with the [[Colonial Colleges]] as one of the original and foundational institutions of higher education in the United States. Its founders include three signers of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]] and three signers of the [[United States Constitution]]. The college's historic campus, listed on the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]]'s [[National Register of Historic Places]], forms an integral part of Charleston's colonial-era urban center. The Graduate School of the College of Charleston offers a number of degree programs and coordinates support for its nationally recognized faculty research efforts.
* The [[University of South Carolina]], in Columbia, is a [[Flagship campus|flagship]], [[state university (U.S.)|public]], co-educational, [[research university]] with seven satellite campuses. It was founded in 1801 as [[South Carolina College]], and its original campus, [[Old Campus District, University of South Carolina|The Horseshoe]], is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The university's main campus covers over {{convert|359|acre|km2|1}} in the urban core less than one city block from the [[South Carolina State House]]. The University of South Carolina has around 35,000 students on the Columbia campus.
[[File:Furman-Belltower2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Furman University]] bell tower near [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]]]
* [[Furman University]] is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian, liberal arts university in [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]. Founded in 1826, Furman enrolls approximately 2,900 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. Furman is the largest private institution in South Carolina. The university is primarily focused on undergraduate education (only two departments, education and chemistry, offer graduate degrees).
* [[Erskine College]] is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in [[Due West, South Carolina]]. The college was founded in 1839 and is affiliated with the [[Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church]], which maintains a theological seminary on the campus.
* [[The Citadel|The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina]] is a state-supported, comprehensive college in Charleston. Founded in 1842, it is best known for its undergraduate Corps of Cadets military program for men and women, which combines academics, physical challenges and military discipline. In addition to the cadet program, the Citadel Graduate College offers evening certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs to civilians. The Citadel has 2,200 undergraduate cadets in its residential military program and 1,200 civilian students in the evening programs.
* [[Wofford College]] is a small liberal arts college in [[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]]. Wofford was founded in 1854 with a bequest of $100,000 from the Rev. Benjamin Wofford (1780–1850), a Methodist minister and Spartanburg native who sought to create a college for "literary, classical, and scientific education in my native district of Spartanburg". It is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the [[American Civil War]] that operates on its original campus.
* [[Newberry College]] is a small liberal arts college in [[Newberry, South Carolina|Newberry]]. Founded in 1856, Newberry is a co-educational, private liberal-arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on a historic 90-acre (36 ha) campus in Newberry, South Carolina. It has roughly 1,110 students and a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. According to U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges, Newberry College ranks among the nation's top colleges in the southern region.
* [[Claflin University]], founded in 1869 by the [[American Missionary Association]], is the oldest [[historically black college]] in the state. After the Democratic-dominated legislature closed the university in 1877, before passing a law to restrict admission to whites, it designated Claflin as the only state college for blacks.
* [[Lander University]] is a public liberal arts university in [[Greenwood, South Carolina|Greenwood]]. Lander was founded in 1872 as Willamston Female College.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lander.edu/About-Us/Overview.aspx |title=About Lander University |access-date=May 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702105142/http://www.lander.edu/about-us/Overview.aspx |archive-date=July 2, 2012 }}</ref> The school moved to Greenwood in 1904 and was renamed Lander College in honor of its founder, [[Samuel Lander]]. In 1973 Lander became part of the state's higher education system and is now a co-educational institution. The university is focused on undergraduate education and enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduates.
* [[Presbyterian College]] (PC) is a private liberal arts college founded in 1880 in Clinton. Presbyterian College enrolls around 1000 undergraduate students and around 200 graduate students in its pharmacy school. In 2007, ''Washington Monthly'' ranked PC as the No.{{nbsp}}1 Liberal Arts College in the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0709.rankings.html |title=Our Third Annual College Rankings |publisher=Washingtonmonthly.com |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204082353/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0709.rankings.html |archive-date=December 4, 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Winthrop University]], founded in 1886 as an all-female teaching school in [[Rock Hill, South Carolina|Rock Hill]], became a co-ed institution in 1974. It is now a public university with an enrollment of just over 6,100 students. It is one of the fastest growing universities in the state, with several new academic and recreational buildings being added to the main campus in the past five years, as well as several more planned for the near future. The Richard W. Riley College of Education is still the school's most well-known area of study.
* [[Clemson University]], founded in 1889, is a public, coeducational, [[land-grant university|land-grant]] research university in [[Clemson, South Carolina|Clemson]]. It has more than 19,000 undergraduate students and 5,200 graduate students from all 50 states and from more than 70 countries. Clemson is also the home to the [[South Carolina Botanical Garden]].
* [[North Greenville University]], founded in 1891, is a comprehensive university in [[Tigerville, South Carolina|Tigerville]]. It is affiliated with South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention, and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It has an enrollment of around 2,500 undergraduates.
* [[South Carolina State University]], founded in 1896, is a [[historically black university]] in Orangeburg. SCSU has an enrollment of nearly 5,000, and offers undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees. SCSU boasts the only Doctor of Education program in the state.
* [[Anderson University (South Carolina)|Anderson University]], founded in 1911, is a selective comprehensive university that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. It enrolls about 2,900 students.
* [[Webster University]], founded in 1915 in St. Louis, MO, with five extended campuses in SC, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
* [[Bob Jones University]], founded in 1927, is a private, non-denominational and conservative Christian liberal arts university with a 2019 total enrollment of 3,000. BJU offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bju.edu/about/fast.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041211190124/http://www.bju.edu/about/fast.html|url-status=dead|title=Fast Facts – Bob Jones University|archive-date=December 11, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://datausa.io/profile/university/bob-jones-university#enrollment|title = Bob Jones University Enrollment Profile.|access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Coastal Carolina University]], founded in 1954, became an independent state-supported liberal arts university in 1993. The university enrolls approximately 10,500 students on its 307-acre (1.24&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) campus in Conway, part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. Baccalaureate programs are offered in 51 major fields of study, along with graduate programs in education, business administration (MBA), and coastal marine and wetland studies.
* [[Charleston Southern University]], founded in 1969, is a liberal arts university, and is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Charleston Southern (CSU) is on 300 acres, formerly the site of a rice and indigo plantation, in the city of [[North Charleston, South Carolina|North Charleston]] one of South Carolina's largest accredited, independent universities, enrolling approximately 3,400 students.
* [[Francis Marion University]], formerly Francis Marion College, is a state-supported liberal arts university near [[Florence]], South Carolina. It was founded in 1970 and achieved university status in 1992.

==Health care==
For overall health care, South Carolina is ranked 37th out of the 50 states in 2022, according to [[Commonwealth Fund|The Commonwealth Fund]], a private health foundation working to improve the health care system.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 16, 2022 |title=2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance |url=https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2022/jun/2022-scorecard-state-health-system-performance |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=www.commonwealthfund.org |doi=10.26099/3127-xy78 |language=en |last1=Radley |first1=David C. |last2=Baumgartner |first2=Jesse C. |last3=Collins |first3=Sara R. }}</ref> The state's teen birth rate was 53 births per 1,000 teens, compared to the national average of 41.9 births, according to the [[Kaiser Family Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=37&cat=2&rgn=42 |title=Kaiser State Health Facts, 2006 |publisher=Statehealthfacts.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718130046/http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=37&cat=2&rgn=42 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The state's [[infant mortality rate]] was 9.4 deaths per 1,000 births compared to the national average of 6.9 deaths.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank17.html US Census, US National Center for Health Statistics, 2005] [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/wayback/20090710084602/http%3A//www%2Ecensus%2Egov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank17%2Ehtml Archived copy] at the Portuguese Web Archive (July 10, 2009).</ref>

There were 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people compared to the national average of 3.2 physicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=689&cat=8&rgn=42 |title=Kaiser State Health Facts, based on Amer. Medical Association data, 2008 |publisher=Statehealthfactsonline.org |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728054904/http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=689&cat=8&rgn=42 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }}</ref> There was $5,114 spent on health expenses per capita in the state, compared to the national average of $5,283.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=596&cat=5&rgn=42 |title=Kaiser State Health Facts, based on Center for Medicare and Medicaid Statistics, 2007 |publisher=Statehealthfactsonline.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728055415/http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=596&cat=5&rgn=42 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }}</ref> There were 26 percent of children and 13 percent of elderly living in poverty in the state, compared to 23 percent and 13 percent, respectively, doing so in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statehealthfactsonline.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=10&cat=1&st=3&cha=25 |title=Kaiser State Health Facts, 2008–2008 |publisher=Statehealthfactsonline.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728055425/http://statehealthfactsonline.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=10&cat=1&st=3&cha=25 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }}</ref> There were 34 percent of children that were [[overweight]] or [[obese]], compared to the national average of 32 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=51&cat=2&rgn=42 |title=Kaiser State Health Facts, based on Nat Survey of Children's Health, 2009 |publisher=Statehealthfactsonline.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728055436/http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=51&cat=2&rgn=42 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 }}</ref>

==Media==
{{See also|List of newspapers in South Carolina|Category:Mass media in South Carolina}}
There are 36 TV stations (including PBS affiliates) serving South Carolina with terrestrial, and some online streaming access. Markets in which the stations are located include Columbia, Florence, Allendale, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, Charleston, Conway, Beaufort, Hardeeville, Spartanburg, Greenwood, Anderson and Sumter. There are multiple news companies in South Carolina, some major ones are [[The Charleston Chronicle]], [[Greenville News]], [[The Post and Courier]], [[The State (newspaper)|The State]], and [[The Sun News]].

==Government and politics==
{{Main|South Carolina government and politics}}{{See also|Political party strength in South Carolina}}[[File:South Carolina Presidential Election Results 2024.svg|thumb|[[2024 United States presidential election in South Carolina|2024 U.S. presidential election results]] by county in South Carolina {{leftlegend|#4389E3|Democratic}}{{leftlegend|#AA0000|Republican}}]]

South Carolina's [[State governments of the United States|state government]] consists of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  The [[governor of South Carolina]] heads the executive branch; the [[South Carolina General Assembly]] heads the legislative branch; and the [[South Carolina Supreme Court]] heads the judicial branch.

South Carolina is a largely conservative state. Since the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], South Carolina's politics have been controlled by three main parties: the [[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican Party]] in the early 1800s, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] through most of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in the 21st century. Since the mid-1990s, the [[South Carolina General Assembly]] has been controlled by the Republican party, and currently, eight of nine statewide offices are held by Republican officeholders and one by a Democratic officeholder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Democratic Party |url=https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/democratic-party/ |access-date=10 June 2010 |website=South Carolina Encyclopedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Folks |first1=Will |title=South Carolina Democrats Finally 'Win' A Statewide Office |url=https://www.fitsnews.com/2023/05/15/south-carolina-democrats-finally-win-a-statewide-office/ |access-date=21 May 2023 |website=FITSNews|date=May 15, 2023 }}</ref>

At the federal level, South Carolina has voted Republican in every presidential election since the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 election of Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Carolina |url=https://www.270towin.com/states/South_Carolina |access-date=10 June 2023 |website=270towin}}</ref> The last [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate to carry the state was [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]. Both of South Carolina's [[United States Senate|senators]] are Republican. The most recent Democratic senator to serve was [[Fritz Hollings]], who left office in 2005. South Carolina has seven representatives in the [[United States House of Representatives]], six of whom are Republican. [[File:SCCapitol0270.jpg|thumb|left|[[South Carolina State House]]]]As of November 8, 2022, there were 3,740,743 registered voters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://scvotes.gov/results-statistics |title=South Carolina Voter Registration Demographics |publisher=South Carolina State Election Commission |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611002649/https://scvotes.gov/results-statistics |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a 2020 study, South Carolina was ranked by the ''[[Election Law Journal]]'' as the 7th hardest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schraufnagel |first1=Scot |last2=Pomante II |first2=Michael J. |last3=Li |first3=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref> South Carolina retains the [[Capital punishment in South Carolina|death penalty]]. Authorized methods of execution include by [[electric chair]] or firing squad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Methods of Execution |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=Death Penalty Information Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

An April 2023 ''[[Winthrop University]]'' poll found that an overwhelming majority of South Carolinians supported legalizing [[Medical cannabis in the United States|medical marijuana]] and believed that a [[Separation of church and state in the United States|separation between church and state]] was "critical". A large majority were also found to support [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]], legalized [[Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction|recreational marijuana]] and [[Sports betting|sports gambling]], along with an [[Redistricting commission|independent commission]] system for [[Redistricting|congressional redistricting]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=April 12, 2023 |title=April 2023 Winthrop Poll Results |url=https://www.winthrop.edu/winthroppoll/2023-april-winthroppoll-results.aspx |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=[[Winthrop University]]}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{See also|South Carolina literature}}
South Carolina has many venues for visual and performing arts. The [[Gibbes Museum of Art]] in Charleston, the [[Greenville County Museum of Art]], the [[Columbia Museum of Art]], Spartanburg Art Museum, and the [[South Carolina State Museum]] in Columbia among others provide access to visual arts to the state. There are also numerous historic sites and museums scattered throughout the state paying homage to many events and periods in the state's history from Native American inhabitation to the present day.

South Carolina also has performing art venues including the [[Peace Center]] in Greenville, the [[Koger Center for the Arts]] in Columbia, and the [[Newberry Opera House]], among others to bring local, national, and international talent to the stages of South Carolina. Several large venues can house major events, including [[Colonial Life Arena]] in Columbia, [[Bon Secours Wellness Arena]] in Greenville, and [[North Charleston Coliseum]].

One of the nation's major performing arts festivals, [[Spoleto Festival USA]], is held annually in Charleston. There are also countless local festivals throughout the state highlighting many cultural traditions, historical events, and folklore.

According to the South Carolina Arts Commission, creative industries generate $9.2&nbsp;billion annually and support over 78,000 jobs in the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/economic/talkingpoints.shtml#1|title=The South Carolina Arts Commission – Economic Impact|website=southcarolinaarts.com|access-date=May 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627080906/http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/economic/talkingpoints.shtml#1|archive-date=June 27, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2009 statewide poll by the University of South Carolina Institute for Public Service and Policy Research found that 67% of residents had participated in the arts in some form during the past year and on average citizens had participated in the arts 14 times in the previous year.

===Sports===
{{Main|Sports in South Carolina}}
Although no major league professional sports teams are based in South Carolina, the [[Carolina Panthers]] have training facilities in the state and played their inaugural season's home games at Clemson's [[Memorial Stadium (Clemson)|Memorial Stadium]] in 1995. They now play at [[Bank of America Stadium]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. The Panthers consider themselves "The Carolinas' Team" and refrained from naming themselves after Charlotte or either of the Carolinas. The state is also home to numerous minor league professional teams. College teams represent their particular South Carolina institutions, and are the primary options for [[American football|football]], basketball and baseball attendance in the state. South Carolina is also a top destination for golf and [[List of water sports|water sports]].

South Carolina is also home to one of [[NASCAR]]'s first tracks and its first paved speedway, [[Darlington Raceway]], located northwest of [[Florence, South Carolina|Florence]].

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|South Carolina}}
* [[Index of South Carolina-related articles]]
* [[Outline of South Carolina]]
* [[Bibliography of South Carolina history]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Morris, J. Brent. ''Yes, Lord, I Know the Road: A Documentary History of African Americans in South Carolina, 1526–2008'' (2017)

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=South Carolina}}
* {{Official website|https://sc.gov/}}
* [https://discoversouthcarolina.com/ Discover South Carolina], tourism website
* [https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/ South Carolina Encyclopedia]
* [https://www.sciway.net/ SCIWAY], privately-maintained directory
* {{OSM relation|224040}}

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