South Carolina – Fast Facts

Climate, Natural Disasters Economy, Business, Jobs Education Geography Government, Elections

History Population, Demographics Symbols, Official Recognitions Taxes, Licenses Transportation

SC Geography

• Borders – Atlantic Ocean, Georgia, North Carolina

• Time zone – Eastern

• Total area – 31,189 square miles (40th largest state)
  Land area – 30,111 square miles (96.5%)
  Inland water area – 1,006 square miles
  Coastal water area – 72 square miles
  

• Greatest distances
  North to south – 219 miles
  East to west – 273 miles
  

• Geographic center – Richland County (13 miles southeast of Columbia)
  

• Largest county (land area only) – Horry (1,133 square miles)
• Largest county (land & water area) – Berkeley (1,230 square miles)
• Smallest county – McCormick (360 square miles)

• Highest mountain – Sassafras Mountain (3,560 feet)
• Highest waterfall – Raven Cliff Falls (400 feet)
• Largest island – Johns Island
• Largest barrier island – Hilton Head Island
• Largest lake – Lake Marion (172.8 square miles)
• Largest river – Santee River (143 miles long and drains 40% of the state)
  
• Longest river – Savannah River (238 miles = length of river segment that borders SC)
  

• Miles of coast – 187
• Miles of coastal shoreline – 2,876 – 11th longest
• Miles of oceanfront beaches – 182
• Lowcountry – area along SC coast from Pawleys Island south to the Savannah River – sometimes spelled Low Country.
  

SC Climate, Natural Disasters

• Average annual precipitation – 45 inches
  

• Average January 15 low in Columbia – 37° F
  Average January 15 high – 57° F
  

• Average July 15 low in Columbia – 71° F
  Average July 15 high – 92° F
  

• Record low – -19° F (1977, Caesar's Head)
  Record high – 111° F (1925, Blackville and Calhoun Falls ... 1954, Camden)
  

• Worst earthquake – Charleston – August 31, 1886
  
• Worst hurricane – Hugo – September 21-22, 1989
  

Population, Demographics

• Estimated population – 4,321,249 (2006 - 24th largest state)
  
• Population per square land mile – 143.5 (2006)
  

• Smallest town – Peak - 62 (2005)
  
• Largest city – Columbia - 117,088 (2005)
  

• Smallest county – McCormick - 10,108 (2005)
  
• Largest county – Greenville - 407,383 (2005)
  

• Percent urban – 76 (2006)
  
• Percent rural – 24 (2006)
  

• Percent women – 51.7 (2005)
  
• Percent men – 48.3 (2005)
  

• Percent white – 67.4 (2005 - ranked 43rd)
  
• Percent black – 28.5 (2005 - ranked 6th)
  
• Percent Hispanic – 3.3 (2005 - ranked 36th)
  

• Median age – 37.1 (2005)
  
• Percent under 18 – 24.1 (2005)
  
• Percent 18-64 – 63.6 (2005)
  
• Percent 65 and older – 12.3 (2005)
  

History

• Who is South Carolina named for?

• First European contact with native Americans – by Spanish at Winyah Bay in June 1521
  

• First European enslavement of native Americans – by Spanish at Winyah Bay in July 1521
  

• First French settlement – Parris Island in 1562
  

• Charles I of England granted "Carolana" to Sir Robert Heath – 1629
  

• Charles II of England granted "Carolina" to eight Lords Proprietors – March 24, 1663
  

• First English settlement – Charles Town (1670 - named for Charles II)
  

• Separated from North Carolina – 1710
  

• Lords Proprietors overthrown – December 21, 1719
  

• First state constitution signed - March 26, 1776 (John Rutledge elected president)
  

• America's first military victory – British fleet defeated at Battle of Sullivan's Island (June 28, 1776)
  

• Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia – August 2, 1776 (Four SC signers were Thomas Heyward, Jr, Thomas Lynch, Jr, Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge)
  

• First state governor – John Rutledge (1779)
  

• Capital moved – from Charleston to Columbia (1786)
  

• Ratified US Constitution – May 23, 1788 (8th state)
  

• Seceded from Union – December 20, 1860 (1st state)
  

• Fired on Fort Sumter – April 12, 1861
  

• First SC governor elected by popular vote – James Lawrence Orr (October 18, 1865)
  

• End of Reconstruction – April 11, 1877
  

• Last county formed – Allendale (1919)
  

• First woman elected to SC Senate – Mary G. Ellis from Jasper County (1929)
  

• Public colleges integrated – 1965
  

• In-migration begins to exceed out-migration – late 1960s
  

• Public K-12 schools integrated – 1970
  

• First black state representatives elected in the 20th Century – 1970
  

• First Republican governor since Reconstruction – James B. Edwards (1975)
  

• First black state senator elected in the 20th Century – I. DeQuincy Newman (1983)
  

• First black US Representative elected since Reconstruction – James E. Clyburn (1992)
  

State Symbols, Official Recognitions

• Guide to South Carolina State Symbols

Government, Elections

• Capital – Columbia
  
• Number of counties – 46
  

• Governor – Mark Sanford
  
• Number of Supreme Court justices – 5
  

• Name of legislature – General Assembly
  
• Number of state representatives – 124
  
• Number of state senators – 46
  

• Number of US representatives – 6
  
• Number of US senators – 2
  
• Number of electoral votes – 8
  

• Number of registered voters – 2,495,806 (April 2007)
  
• Percent of potential voters registered – 58 (Nov 11, 2006 election)
  
• Percent of registered voters who voted – 45 (Nov 11, 2006 election)
  
• Percent of potential voters who voted – 26 (Nov 11, 2006 election)
  

• Voter registration requirements
  

Taxes, Licenses

• Sales tax rates – 6% (6 counties) - 7% (31 counties) -
  7.5% (1 county) - 8% (8 counties) - Adobe Reader
  
• State fuel tax – 16.8 cents per gallon
  
• Highest income tax rate for individuals – 7%
  
• Corporate state income tax rate – 5% (There is no local tax on corporate income)
  
• Tax forms, instructions, help
  

• Driver's licenses – non-commercial
  
• Commercial driver's licenses – CDL
  
• Vehicle titles and registrations
• Vehicle inspections – South Carolina no longer has a vehicle inspection program
  
• Marriage licenses
  

Education

• Number of K-12 public school districts – 85
  
• Number of K-12 public schools – 1,144
  
• Annual operating expenditure per student – $8,706 (2003-2004)
  
• Percent of 25+ year olds who have completed high school – 76.3 (2000)
  

• Number of public two-year technical colleges – 16
  
• Number of private two-year colleges – 6
  
• Number of public four-year colleges – 11
  
• Number of private four-year colleges – 21
  
• Percent of state residents 25 and older who have a degree – 23 (2005)
  

Economy, Business, Jobs

• Number of Fortune 500 company headquarters – 1 (SCANA)
  
• Business failure rate – 35 per 10,000 concerns (1997)
  
• Percent union members in manufacturing – 3.3 (2007)
  
• Right-to-work law – Yes
  
• Average hourly earnings in manufacturing – $14.93 (March 2006)
  
• Average hourly earnings for all jobs – $12.43 (May 2005)
  
• Annual personal income per capita – $28,285 (2005 - ranked 43rd)
  
• Annual personal income per capita as a percent of US annual income per capita – 82%
  
• Median household income – $39,316 (2005 - ranked 41st)
  
• Cost of living index rate for Charleston / North Charleston – 98.8 (2006)
  Cost of living index rate for Columbia – 91.6 (2006)
  Cost of living index rate for Greenville – 91.3 (2006)
  Cost of living index rate for Myrtle Beach – 94.4 (2006)
  Cost of living index rate for Spartanburg – 90.4 (2006)
  
• Number of residents per physician – 490 (2005)
  
• Largest foreign investor country – Germany
  
• Percent employed by foreign-owned companies – 8.1 (2004)
  
• Median value of owner-occupied homes – $113,100 (2005 - ranked 39th)
  
• Percent homes owner-occupied – 70.1 (2005 - ranked 17th)
  
• Average monthly contract rent – $611 (2005)
  
• Gross sales – $88,179,240,639 (fiscal year 2003-2004)
  
• Per capita retail sales – $9895.00 (2002)
  
• Leading agricultural products – forestry, poultry, tobacco, cotton, soybeans
  

Transportation

• Miles of interstate highways – 844 (2006)
  Miles of state primary roads – 9,411.97 (1998)
  Miles of state secondary roads – 31,287.32 (1998)
  Number of bridges – about 10,600 (1998)
  
• Longest driving time within state – about 5 hours
  
• Number of private & commercial vehicles – 3,339,458 (2005)
  
• Number of public vehicles – 52,006 (2005)
  
• Miles of railroad tracks for freight – 2,283 (2005)
  
• Number of commercial airports – 6
  Busiest passenger airport – Charleston International Airport
  Busiest cargo airport – Columbia Metropolitan Airport
  
• Number of general aviation airports – 68 (2005)
  
• Number of public marine terminals – 3 (Charleston is the busiest)
  

Related Resources

• South Carolina – Encarta Encyclopedia
  
• South Carolina – Information Please Almanac
  
• South Carolina – Information Please Encyclopedia
  
• South Carolina – Internet Public Library
  
• Free SC vacation kit and accommodations guide