Editing List of counties in South Carolina

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = Counties of South Carolina
| alt_name = 
| map = {{South Carolina County Labelled Map}}
| category = 
| territory = [[State of South Carolina]]
| start_date = 
| current_number = 46
| number_date = 
| population_range = 7,551 ([[Allendale County, South Carolina|Allendale]]) – 525,534 ([[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville]])
| area_range = {{Convert|392|sqmi}} ([[Calhoun County, South Carolina|Calhoun]]) – {{Convert|1358|sqmi}} ([[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston]])
| government = [[County government]]
| subdivision = cities, towns, unincorporated communities, [[census designated place]]
}}

The [[U.S. state]] of [[South Carolina]] is made up of 46 [[County (United States)|counties]], the maximum allowable by state law.<ref>[http://www.scstatehouse.gov/scconstitution/a08.php Section 3, Article VIII of the ''South Carolina Constitution''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104031222/http://www.scstatehouse.gov/scconstitution/a08.php |date=January 4, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2, 2023 |title=South Carolina Constitution - Article VIII: Local Government |url=https://www.scstatehouse.gov/scconstitution/A08.pdf |access-date=April 27, 2024 |website=South Carolina Legislature Online |publisher=South Carolina State Legislature |at=Section 3 |publication-place=Columbia, SC}}</ref> They range in size from 392 square miles (1,015 square kilometers) in the case of [[Calhoun County, South Carolina|Calhoun County]] to 1,358 square miles (3,517 square kilometers) in the case of [[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston County]]. The least populous county is [[Allendale County, South Carolina|Allendale County]], with only 7,551 residents, while the most populous county is [[Greenville County, South Carolina|Greenville County]], with a population of 570,745, despite the state's most populous city, [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], being located in [[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston County]].

==History==
In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided into [[Parish|parishes]] corresponding to the parishes of the [[Church of England]]. There were also several counties that had judicial and electoral functions. As people settled the [[backcountry]], judicial districts and additional counties were formed. This structure continued and grew after the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. In 1800, all counties were renamed as districts. In 1868, the districts were converted back to counties.<ref>Edgar, Walter, ed. ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia'', University of South Carolina Press, 2006, pp. 230-234, {{ISBN|1-57003-598-9}}</ref> The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has maps that show the boundaries of counties, districts, and parishes starting in 1682.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SC County Maps |url=https://scdah.sc.gov/research-and-genealogy/resources/sc-county-maps |access-date= |website=South Carolina Department of Archives and History}}</ref>

Historically, county government in South Carolina has been fairly weak.<ref name=":0">Underwood, James Lowell. The South Carolina Constitution 2–5 (1985) (describing how South Carolina’s strong legislature led to weak county government in South Carolina until 1973 because county needs were handled by county delegations to the General Assembly)</ref> The 1895 Constitution made no provision for local government, effectively reducing counties to creatures of the state. Each county's delegation to the General Assembly, comprising one senator and at least one representative, also doubled as its county council. Under this system, the state senator from each county wielded the most power.<ref name="Tyler 1998 p. 222">{{Cite web |last=Tyer |first=Charlie B. |date=1999 |title=County Government in the Palmetto State |url=http://www.ipspr.sc.edu/grs/SCCEP/Articles/county%20government.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104155439/http://www.ipspr.sc.edu/grs/SCCEP/Articles/county%20government.htm |archive-date=January 4, 2021 |website=The South Carolina Governance Project |publisher=University of South Carolina}}</ref> From the eighteenth century to 1973, counties in South Carolina performed limited functions such as the provision of law enforcement and the construction of transportation infrastructure.<ref name=":0" />

In 1964, the United States Supreme Court case ''[[Reynolds v. Sims]]'' required reapportionment according to the principle of "one man, one vote", which resulted in legislative districts crossing county lines. However, it was not until 1973 that the constitution was amended to provide for limited home rule at the county level.<ref>Ulbrich, Holley H.; London, Donna S.; Lucken, Melinda A. (2011). "Local Governments and Home Rule in South Carolina 4".</ref> This was finally enacted in 1975 with the Home Rule Act,<ref name="Tyler 1998 p. 222" /> which provided for elected councils in each county. Further, in 1989, all counties were given the authority to exercise broad police powers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierce |first=Jon B. |date=June 8, 2016 |title=Local government |url=https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/local-government/ |access-date= |website=South Carolina Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> Thus, they may enact regulations and ordinances related to the provision or preservation of security, health, peace, and order, so long as the regulation is not inconsistent with state law.<ref>S.C. Code Ann. § 4-9-25 (2020).</ref> Nonetheless, all counties and municipalities in South Carolina lack “fiscal home rule,” meaning they may only enact taxes authorized by the General Assembly.<ref name="Tyler 1998 p. 222" />

County ordinances become applicable within municipal boundaries when the municipality and the county make a formal agreement, and the municipality formally adopts the ordinance.<ref>Guyton, Madison (2020). "Bans on Bans: Plastic Bags, Power, And Home Rule In South Carolina". 71 S.C. L. Rev. 801, 807.</ref> Unincorporated areas are governed by the county's land use plans.<ref>S.C. Code Ann. § 6-29-330 (2020).</ref>
{{Clear}}

==County abbreviations==
{| class="wikitable"
! County Name !! Abbreviation<ref name="CountyAbbreviations">{{Cite web |title=Curation, Loan, and Access Policy |url=https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/sc_institute_archeology_and_anthropology/documents/curation_loan_access_policy.pdf#page=27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205083752/https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/sc_institute_archeology_and_anthropology/documents/curation_loan_access_policy.pdf |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |access-date=December 5, 2021 |publisher=[[South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology]] |pages=21–22}}</ref>!! County Name !! Abbreviation<ref name="CountyAbbreviations"/>
|-
| Abbeville|| AB || Greenwood || GN
|-
| Aiken|| AK || Hampton || HA
|-
| Allendale|| AL || Horry || HR
|-
| Anderson|| AN || Jasper || JA
|-
| Bamberg|| BA || Kershaw || KE
|-
| Barnwell|| BR || Lancaster || LA
|-
| Beaufort|| BU || Laurens || LU
|-
| Berkeley|| BK || Lee || LE
|-
| Calhoun || CL || Lexington || LX
|-
| Charleston || CH || Marion || MA
|-
| Cherokee|| CK || Marlboro || ML
|-
| Chester || CS || McCormick || MC
|-
| Chesterfield || CT || Newberry || NB
|-
| Clarendon || CR || Oconee || OC
|-
| Colleton || CN || Orangeburg || OR
|-
| Darlington || DA || Pickens || PN
|-
| Dillon || DN || Richland || RD
|-
| Dorchester || DR || Saluda || SA
|-
| Edgefield || ED || Spartanburg || SP
|-
| Fairfield || FA || Sumter || SU
|-
| Florence || FL || Union || UN
|-
| Georgetown || GE || Williamsburg || WG
|-
| Greenville || GVL || York|| YK
|}

==Alphabetical list==
{{Countytabletop
| region_width      = 120px
| fips_ref          = <ref name="FIPS">{{cite web|url= http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/sc.html|title= EPA County FIPS Code Listing|publisher= EPA|access-date= April 9, 2007}}</ref>
| region_seat_width =
| region_seat_title = County seat
| region_seat_ref   = <ref name="NACO">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&state.cfm&statecode=SC|title=NACo – Find a county|work=National Association of Counties|access-date=April 26, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025112845/http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=%2Fcffiles%2Fcounties%2Fstate.cfm&state.cfm&statecode=SC|archive-date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| data2_width       =
| data2_title       = {{abbr|Est.|Established}}
| data2_ref         = <ref name="NACO"/>
| data3_width       =
| data3_title       = Origin
| data3_ref         = <ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – South Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_45.txt |access-date=September 10, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| data4_width       =
| data4_title       = Etymology
| data4_ref         = 
| population_ref    = <br/>(2024)<ref name="Census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SC |title=QuickFacts: South Carolina |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref>
| area_ref          = <ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files - South Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_45.txt |access-date=September 10, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Abbeville |N=45 |Num=001 |Seat=Abbeville |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4=[[Abbeville, France]] |Population=24607 |Area=512 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Aiken |N=45 |Num=003 |Seat=Aiken |Data2=1871  |Data3=[[Barnwell County, South Carolina|Barnwell County]], [[Edgefield County, South Carolina|Edgefield County]], [[Lexington County, South Carolina|Lexington County]], and [[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg County]] |Data4=[[William Aiken]], founder of the [[South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company]] |Population=179245 |Area=1080 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Allendale |N=45 |Num=005 |Seat=Allendale |Data2=1919  |Data3=[[Barnwell County, South Carolina|Barnwell County]] and [[Hampton County, South Carolina|Hampton County]] |Data4=P.H. Allen, first postmaster of the new county |Population=7551 |Area=412 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Anderson |N=45 |Num=007 |Seat=Anderson |Data2=1826  |Data3=[[Pendleton District, South Carolina|Pendleton District]] |Data4=[[Robert Anderson (Revolutionary War)|Robert Anderson]], [[American Revolutionary War]] general and Southern surveyor |Population=217183 |Area=756 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Bamberg |N=45 |Num=009 |Seat=Bamberg |Data2=1897  |Data3=[[Barnwell County, South Carolina|Barnwell County]] |Data4=Francis Marion Bamberg (1838–1905), Confederate general in the [[American Civil War]] |Population=12870 |Area=396 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Barnwell |N=45 |Num=011 |Seat=Barnwell |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg County]] |Data4=[[John Barnwell (senator)|John Barnwell]], South Carolina State Senator and [[prisoner of war]] during the American Revolution |Population=20495 |Area=557 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Beaufort |N=45 |Num=013 |Seat=Beaufort |Data2=1769 |Data3=1769 Judicial District |Data4=[[Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort]], colonial proprietary landowner |Population=201775 |Area=923 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Berkeley |N=45 |Num=015 |Seat=Moncks Corner |Data2=1882  |Data3=[[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston County]] |Data4=[[William Berkeley (governor)|William Berkeley]], colonial proprietary governor and landowner  |Population=264276 |Area=1234 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Calhoun |N=45 |Num=017 |Seat=St. Matthews |Data2=1908  |Data3=[[Lexington County, South Carolina|Lexington County]] and [[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg County]] |Data4=[[John C. Calhoun]], [[U.S. senator]] from South Carolina  |Population=14249 |Area=392 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Charleston |N=45 |Num=019 |Seat=Charleston |Data2=1769  |Data3=1769 Judicial District |Data4=King [[Charles II of England]] |Population=431001 |Area=1358 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Cherokee |N=45 |Num=021 |Seat=Gaffney |Data2=1897  |Data3=[[Spartanburg County, South Carolina|Spartanburg County]], [[Union County, South Carolina|Union County]], and [[York County, South Carolina|York County]] |Data4=[[Cherokee]] Native Americans |Population=57770 |Area=397 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Chester |N=45 |Num=023 |Seat=Chester |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]] |Data4=[[Chester, Pennsylvania]] |Population=32323 |Area=586 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Chesterfield |N=45 |Num=025 |Seat=Chesterfield |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Cheraws District]] |Data4=[[Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield]], an Enlightenment-era scholar, government official, and member of the British [[House of Lords]] |Population=44488 |Area=806 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Clarendon |N=45 |Num=027 |Seat=Manning |Data2=1855  |Data3=[[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter County]] |Data4=[[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon]], colonial proprietary landowner |Population=31030 |Area=696 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Colleton |N=45 |Num=029 |Seat=Walterboro |Data2=1800  |Data3=[[Charleston County, South Carolina|Charleston County]] |Data4=[[John Colleton]], colonial proprietary landowner |Population=39259 |Area=1133 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Darlington |N=45 |Num=031 |Seat=Darlington |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Cheraws District, South Carolina|Cheraws District]] |Data4=Unknown; possibly [[Darlington, England]] |Population=62425 |Area=566 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Dillon |N=45 |Num=033 |Seat=Dillon |Data2=1910  |Data3=[[Marion County, South Carolina|Marion County]] |Data4=James William "J.W." Dillon (1826-1913), founder of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad |Population=27577 |Area=407 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Dorchester |N=45 |Num=035 |Seat=St. George |Data2=1897  |Data3=[[Berkeley County, South Carolina|Berkeley County]] and [[Colleton County, South Carolina|Colleton County]] |Data4=[[Dorchester, Massachusetts]] |Population=174663 |Area=571 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Edgefield |N=45 |Num=037 |Seat=Edgefield |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4=Disputed; either its location on the edge of the state or [[Edgefield, Norfolk]], [[England]] |Population=29455 |Area=507 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Fairfield |N=45 |Num=039 |Seat=Winnsboro |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]] |Data4=The county's fair fields, as described by colonial Governor [[Charles Cornwallis]] |Population=20369 |Area=710 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Florence |N=45 |Num=041 |Seat=Florence |Data2=1888  |Data3=[[Clarendon County, South Carolina|Clarendon County]], [[Darlington County, South Carolina|Darlington County]], [[Marion County, South Carolina|Marion County]], and [[Williamsburg County, South Carolina|Williamsburg County]] |Data4=Florence Harllee (1848-1927), daughter of [[Wilmington and Manchester Railroad]] founder W.W. Harllee |Population=138049 |Area=804 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Georgetown |N=45 |Num=043 |Seat=Georgetown |Data2=1769  |Data3=1769 Judicial District |Data4=[[George III of the United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |author=Gannett, Henry |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n135 136]}}</ref> |Population=66035 |Area=1035 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Greenville |N=45 |Num=045 |Seat=Greenville |Data2=1786  |Data3=[[Washington District, South Carolina|Washington District]] |Data4= [[Nathanael Greene]], Revolutionary War general |Population=570745 |Area=796 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Greenwood |N=45 |Num=047 |Seat=Greenwood |Data2=1897  |Data3=[[Abbeville County, South Carolina|Abbeville County]] and [[Edgefield County, South Carolina|Edgefield County]] |Data4=Greenwood Plantation, the home of John McGee, the county's largest landowner |Population=70041 |Area=464 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Hampton |N=45 |Num=049 |Seat=Hampton |Data2=1878  |Data3=[[Beaufort County, South Carolina|Beaufort County]] |Data4=[[Wade Hampton III]], lieutenant general and cavalry leader in the [[Confederate States Army]] and later [[governor of South Carolina]] and U.S. senator |Population=18172 |Area=563 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Horry |N=45 |Num=051 |Seat=Conway |Data2=1801  |Data3=[[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown County]] |Data4= [[Peter Horry]], Revolutionary War general |Population=413391 |Area=1255 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Jasper |N=45 |Num=053 |Seat=Ridgeland |Data2=1912  |Data3=[[Beaufort County, South Carolina|Beaufort County]] and [[Hampton County, South Carolina|Hampton County]] |Data4=[[William Jasper]], Revolutionary War sergeant |Population=35618 |Area=702 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Kershaw |N=45 |Num=055 |Seat=Camden |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Claremont County, South Carolina|Claremont County]], [[Fairfield County, South Carolina|Fairfield County]], [[Lancaster County, South Carolina|Lancaster County]], and [[Richland County, South Carolina|Richland]] |Data4=Joseph Kershaw, one of the county's pioneering settlers |Population=71698 |Area=740 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Lancaster |N=45 |Num=057 |Seat=Lancaster |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]] |Data4=[[Lancaster, England]], and the [[House of Lancaster]]<ref>[https://www.lancastercitysc.com/history-of-lancaster/ "History of Lancaster", Lancaster County, South Carolina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515111814/https://www.lancastercitysc.com/history-of-lancaster/ |date=May 15, 2019 }}</ref> |Population=111652 |Area=555 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Laurens |N=45 |Num=059 |Seat=Laurens |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4=[[Henry Laurens]], president of the [[Second Continental Congress]] and prisoner of war during the American Revolution |Population=70545 |Area=724 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Lee |N=45 |Num=061 |Seat=Bishopville |Data2=1902  |Data3=[[Darlington County, South Carolina|Darlington County]], [[Kershaw County, South Carolina|Kershaw County]], and [[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter County]] |Data4=[[Robert E. Lee]], Confederate general during the Civil War |Population=15958 |Area=411 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Lexington |N=45 |Num=063 |Seat=Lexington |Data2=1804  |Data3=[[Orangeburg County, South Carolina|Orangeburg County]] |Data4=[[Battle of Lexington]], opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War|Population=313774 |Area=758 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Marion |N=45 |Num=067 |Seat=Marion |Data2=1800  |Data3=[[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown County]] |Data4=[[Francis Marion]], Revolutionary War general |Population=28368 |Area=494 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Marlboro |N=45 |Num=069 |Seat=Bennettsville |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Cheraws District, South Carolina|Cheraws District]] |Data4=[[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]], English general, diplomat, and confidant of monarchs |Population=25498 |Area=486 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=McCormick |N=45 |Num=065 |Seat=McCormick |Data2=1914  |Data3=[[Abbeville County, South Carolina|Abbeville County]], [[Edgefield County, South Carolina|Edgefield County]], and [[Greenwood County, South Carolina|Greenwood County]] |Data4=[[Cyrus McCormick]], inventor of the mechanical [[reaper]] and founder of [[International Harvester]] |Population=9983 |Area=394 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Newberry |N=45 |Num=071 |Seat=Newberry |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4=Disputed; possibly [[Newbury, Berkshire]], England, or from early settlers' notion that the landscape was as "pretty as a new berry" |Population=39203 |Area=647 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Oconee |N=45 |Num=073 |Seat=Walhalla |Data2=1868  |Data3=[[Pickens County, South Carolina|Pickens County]] |Data4=[[Oconee people|Oconee]] Native Americans |Population=82475 |Area=674 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Orangeburg |N=45 |Num=075 |Seat=Orangeburg |Data2=1769  |Data3=1769 Judicial District |Data4=Prince [[William V of Orange]] |Population=83129 |Area=1128 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Pickens |N=45 |Num=077 |Seat=Pickens |Data2=1826  |Data3=[[Pendleton District, South Carolina|Pendleton District]] |Data4=[[Andrew Pickens (governor)|Andrew Pickens]], governor of South Carolina |Population=138207 |Area=513 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Richland |N=45 |Num=079 |Seat=Columbia |Data2=1799  |Data3=[[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]] |Data4= The county's rich soil |Population=430651 |Area=772 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Saluda |N=45 |Num=081 |Seat=Saluda |Data2=1896  |Data3=[[Edgefield County, South Carolina|Edgefield County]] |Data4=[[Saluda River]] |Population=19452 |Area=462 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Spartanburg |N=45 |Num=083 |Seat=Spartanburg |Data2=1785  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4="[[Spartan Regiment]]" of the state militia, which was the key force for victory in the Revolutionary War [[Battle of Cowpens]] |Population=369256 |Area=820 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Sumter |N=45 |Num=085 |Seat=Sumter |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Claremont County, South Carolina|Claremont County]], [[Clarendon County, South Carolina|Clarendon County]], and [[Salem County, South Carolina|Salem County]] |Data4=[[Thomas Sumter]], Revolutionary War general and U.S. senator from South Carolina |Population=104776 |Area=682 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Union |N=45 |Num=087 |Seat=Union |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]] |Data4=Union Church, the first Christian place of worship in the area |Population=26678 |Area=515 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=Williamsburg |N=45 |Num=089 |Seat=Kingstree |Data2=1802  |Data3=[[Georgetown District, South Carolina|Georgetown District]] |Data4=King [[William III of England]] |Population=29865 |Area=937 |Size=100px}}
{{Countyrow|Name=York |N=45 |Num=091 |Seat=York |Data2=1798  |Data3=[[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]] |Data4=[[York County, Pennsylvania]] |Population=303001 |Area=696 |Size=100px}}
|}

==Defunct parishes, counties and districts==
{{see also|List of former United States counties}}

===Parishes===
Until the late 19th century, the [[South Carolina Lowcountry]] was divided into parishes which in turn were subdivided several "districts"; these civil parishes were based on and generally coincident (even well after [[disestablishment]]) with Anglican ecclesiastical parishes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=The Newberry Library |author-link=The Newberry Library |title=South Carolina: Individual County Chronologies, South Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries |url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/SC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm |website=publications.newberry.org |access-date=June 5, 2018 |location=[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], US |date=2009}}</ref>
{{div col}}
* St. Helena's Parish (Beaufort District)
* St. Luke's Parish (Beaufort District), created on May 23, 1767; located on [[Hilton Head Island, South Carolina|Hilton Head Island]] and the adjacent mainland
* St. Peter's Parish (Beaufort District)
* Prince William Parish (Beaufort District)
* St. Andrew's Parish (Charleston District)
* St. Bartholomew's Parish (Charleston District)
* St. John's Colleton Parish (Charleston District)
* St. George's Dorchester Parish (Charleston District)
* St. Philip's & St. Michael's Parish (Charleston District)
* Christchurch Parish (Charleston District)
* St. James' Goose Creek Parish (Charleston District)
* St. Thomas' & St. Denis' Parish (Charleston District)
* St. John's Berkeley Parish (Charleston District)
* St. Stephen's Parish (Charleston District)
* St. James' Santee Parish (Charleston District)
* St. Paul's Parish (Charleston District)
* All Saints' Parish (Georgetown District)
* Prince George, Winyah, Parish (Georgetown District)
* Prince Frederick Parish (Georgetown District)
* St. David's Parish (Cheraw District)
* St. Mark's Parish (Cheraw District)
* St. Matthew's Parish (Orangeburgh District)
{{div col end}}

===Counties===
* [[Carteret County, South Carolina|Carteret County]]
* [[Craven County, South Carolina|Craven County]]
* [[Granville County, South Carolina|Granville County]]
* [[Orange County, South Carolina|Orange County]]
* [[Lewisburg County, South Carolina|Lewisburg County]] (1785–1791)
* [[Winton County, South Carolina|Winton County]], present-day [[Barnwell County, South Carolina|Barnwell County]]
* [[Liberty County, South Carolina|Liberty County]], present-day [[Marion County, South Carolina|Marion County]]
* [[Winyah County, South Carolina|Winyah County]], former name of [[Georgetown County, South Carolina|Georgetown County]]
* [[Claremont County, South Carolina|Claremont County]]
* [[Salem County, South Carolina|Salem County]]

===Districts===
* [[Cheraws District, South Carolina|Cheraw District]], created in 1769
* [[Camden District, South Carolina|Camden District]], created in 1769
* [[Ninety-Six District, South Carolina|Ninety-Six District]], created in 1769
* [[Pinckney District, South Carolina|Pinckney District]] (1791–1798)
* [[Washington District, South Carolina|Washington District]] (1785–1798)
* [[Pendleton District, South Carolina|Pendleton District]], created in 1789 from Cherokee lands

==Proposed counties==
* [[Birch County, South Carolina|Birch County]], proposed in 2013 (portions of Lexington and Richland counties)

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|South Carolina
}}
* [[List of municipalities in South Carolina]]
* [[List of census-designated places in South Carolina]]
* [[List of ghost towns in South Carolina]]
* [[List of former United States counties]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |last1=writer |first1=Statf |author-link1= |collaboration= |df= |year=2022 |location= |title=SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY GOVERNMENT OVERVIEW |url=https://ce.naco.org//app/profiles/CountyGov/CountyGov_45000.pdf |url-access= |format= |department= |website=ce.naco.org |type= |language= |edition= |agency=National Association of Counties (NACo) |arxiv= |asin= |asin-tld= |bibcode= |bibcode-access= |biorxiv= |citeseerx= |doi= |doi-access= |doi-broken-date= |eissn= |hdl= |hdl-access= |isbn= |ismn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |jstor-access= |lccn= |medrxiv= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |ol-access= |osti= |osti-access= |pmc= |pmc-embargo-date= |pmid= |rfc= |sbn= |ssrn= |s2cid= |s2cid-access= |zbl= |id= |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-format= |archive-date= |access-date=January 3, 2025 |quote-page= |quote-pages= |quote= |ref= }}

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

==External links==
* [http://www.sciway.net/cnty/history/timeline.html Information on County Formation timeline]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100417081700/http://www.counties.sc/ Complete South Carolina County Guide]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100322161609/http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/guide/parishes.htm Map of former parishes of South Carolina], South Carolina Department of Archives and History

{{U.S. Counties}}
{{South Carolina}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Counties In South Carolina}}
[[Category:Lists of counties of the United States by state|South Carolina, counties in]]
[[Category:South Carolina counties|*]]
[[Category:South Carolina geography-related lists|Counties]]