# South Carolina statistical areas

The U.S. State of South Carolina currently has 20 statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On July 21, 2023, the OMB delineated four combined statistical areas, ten metropolitan statistical areas, and six micropolitan statistical areas in South Carolina. As of 2023, the largest of these is the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA, comprising the area around Greenville in the state's Upcountry.

## Background

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has designated more than 1,000 statistical areas for the United States and Puerto Rico. These statistical areas are important geographic delineations of population clusters used by the OMB, the United States Census Bureau, planning organizations, and federal, state, and local government entities.
The OMB defines a core-based statistical area (commonly referred to as a CBSA) as the county or counties (or county-equivalents) surrounding at least one densely-settled core of at least 10,000 population, "plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties with the counties containing the core". The OMB further divides core-based statistical areas based on population into metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for those with at least 50,000 and micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) for those with 10,000 to 49,999 people.
The OMB defines a combined statistical area (CSA) as two or more adjacent core-based statistical areas where the employment interchange rate (% commuting from A to B plus % commuting from B to A) is at least 15%. The primary statistical areas (PSAs) include all combined statistical areas and any core-based statistical area that is not a constituent of a combined statistical area.

## Table

The 20 United States statistical areas and 46 counties of the State of South Carolina :
| Combined statistical area | 2023 population (est.) | Core-based statistical area | 2023 population (est.) | County | 2023 population (est.) |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MSA | 975,480 | Greenville County, South Carolina | 558,036 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MSA | 975,480 | Anderson County, South Carolina | 213,076 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MSA | 975,480 | Pickens County, South Carolina | 135,495 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MSA | 975,480 | Laurens County, South Carolina | 68,873 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Spartanburg, SC MSA | 383,327 | Spartanburg County, South Carolina | 356,698 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Spartanburg, SC MSA | 383,327 | Union County, South Carolina | 26,629 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenwood, SC μSA | 93,894 | Greenwood County, South Carolina | 69,460 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Greenwood, SC μSA | 93,894 | Abbeville County, South Carolina | 24,434 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Seneca, SC μSA | 81,221 | Oconee County, South Carolina | 81,221 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | Gaffney, SC μSA | 56,714 | Cherokee County, South Carolina | 56,714 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Richland County, South Carolina | 425,138 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Lexington County, South Carolina | 309,528 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Kershaw County, South Carolina | 69,905 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Fairfield County, South Carolina | 20,422 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Saluda County, South Carolina | 19,123 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | Calhoun County, South Carolina | 14,186 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Sumter, SC MSA | 104,165 | Sumter County, South Carolina | 104,165 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Orangeburg, SC μSA | 82,820 | Orangeburg County, South Carolina | 82,820 |
| Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | Newberry, SC μSA | 38,825 | Newberry County, South Carolina | 38,825 |
| none | none | Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA | 849,417 | Charleston County, South Carolina | 424,367 |
| none | none | Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA | 849,417 | Berkeley County, South Carolina | 255,217 |
| none | none | Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA | 849,417 | Dorchester County, South Carolina | 169,833 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC CSA | 463,209 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA | 397,478 | Horry County, South Carolina | 397,478 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC CSA | 463,209 | Murrells Inlet, SC μSA | 65,731 | Georgetown County, South Carolina | 65,731 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Mecklenburg County, North Carolina | 1,163,701 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | York County, South Carolina | 298,320 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Union County, North Carolina | 256,452 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Cabarrus County, North Carolina | 240,016 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Gaston County, North Carolina | 237,242 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Iredell County, North Carolina | 199,710 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Rowan County, North Carolina | 151,661 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Lancaster County, South Carolina | 108,215 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Lincoln County, North Carolina | 95,675 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Chester County, South Carolina | 32,226 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 438,761 (SC) | Anson County, North Carolina | 21,897 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA | 370,007 | Catawba County, North Carolina | 164,645 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA | 370,007 | Burke County, North Carolina | 88,338 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA | 370,007 | Caldwell County, North Carolina | 80,574 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA | 370,007 | Alexander County, North Carolina | 36,473 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC μSA | 101,378 | Cleveland County, North Carolina | 101,378 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Albemarle, NC μSA | 65,699 | Stanly County, North Carolina | 65,699 |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 438,761 (SC) | Marion, NC μSA | 44,893 | McDowell County, North Carolina | 44,893 |
| none | none | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC MSA | 232,523 | Beaufort County, South Carolina | 198,979 |
| none | none | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC MSA | 232,523 | Jasper County, South Carolina | 33,544 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Richmond County, Georgia | 205,414 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Aiken County, South Carolina | 177,130 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Columbia County, Georgia | 165,162 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Edgefield County, South Carolina | 27,607 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Burke County, Georgia | 24,438 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | McDuffie County, Georgia | 21,799 |
| none | none | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 204,737 (SC) | Lincoln County, Georgia | 7,879 |
| none | none | Florence, SC MSA | 199,630 | Florence County, South Carolina | 137,214 |
| none | none | Florence, SC MSA | 199,630 | Darlington County, South Carolina | 62,416 |
| none | none | none | none | Chesterfield County, South Carolina | 44,031 |
| none | none | none | none | Colleton County, South Carolina | 38,874 |
| none | none | none | none | Clarendon County, South Carolina | 31,004 |
| none | none | none | none | Williamsburg County, South Carolina | 29,891 |
| none | none | none | none | Marion County, South Carolina | 28,508 |
| none | none | none | none | Dillon County, South Carolina | 27,698 |
| none | none | none | none | Marlboro County, South Carolina | 25,704 |
| none | none | none | none | Barnwell County, South Carolina | 20,447 |
| none | none | none | none | Hampton County, South Carolina | 18,122 |
| none | none | none | none | Lee County, South Carolina | 15,967 |
| none | none | none | none | Bamberg County, South Carolina | 12,974 |
| none | none | none | none | McCormick County, South Carolina | 9,941 |
| none | none | none | none | Allendale County, South Carolina | 7,369 |
| State of South Carolina | State of South Carolina | State of South Carolina | State of South Carolina | State of South Carolina | 5,373,555 |

## Core-based statistical areas

The following table provides the in-state population ranking of each CBSA along with its rate of population change over time.
The 16 core-based statistical areas of the State of South Carolina :
| 2023 rank | Core-based statistical area | Population | Population | Population | Population | Population |
| 2023 rank | Core-based statistical area | 2023 estimate | Change | 2020 Census | Change | 2010 Census |
| 1 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MSA | 975,480 | +5.09% | 928,195 | +12.63% | 824,112 |
| 2 | Columbia, SC MSA | 858,302 | +3.48% | 829,470 | +8.06% | 767,598 |
| 3 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA | 849,417 | +6.23% | 799,636 | +20.32% | 664,607 |
| 4 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA (SC) | 438,761 | +6.91% | 410,400 | +22.19% | 335,865 |
| 5 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA | 397,478 | +13.23% | 351,029 | +30.35% | 269,291 |
| 6 | Spartanburg, SC MSA | 383,327 | +7.91% | 355,241 | +13.40% | 313,268 |
| 7 | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC MSA | 232,523 | +7.70% | 215,908 | +15.45% | 187,010 |
| 8 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA (SC) | 204,737 | +5.28% | 194,465 | +3.95% | 187,084 |
| 9 | Florence, SC MSA | 199,630 | −0.17% | 199,964 | −2.73% | 205,566 |
| 10 | Sumter, SC MSA | 104,165 | −1.32% | 105,556 | −1.77% | 107,456 |
| 11 | Greenwood, SC μSA | 93,894 | +0.26% | 93,646 | −1.51% | 95,078 |
| 12 | Orangeburg, SC μSA | 82,820 | −1.67% | 84,223 | −8.95% | 92,501 |
| 13 | Seneca, SC μSA | 81,221 | +3.33% | 78,607 | +5.84% | 74,273 |
| 14 | Murrells Inlet, SC μSA | 65,731 | +3.67% | 63,404 | +5.40% | 60,158 |
| 15 | Gaffney, SC μSA | 56,714 | +0.89% | 56,216 | +1.58% | 55,342 |
| 16 | Newberry, SC μSA | 38,825 | +2.93% | 37,719 | +0.56% | 37,508 |
| | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA | 629,429 | +3.02% | 611,000 | +8.17% | 564,873 |
| | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA | 2,805,115 | +5.44% | 2,660,329 | +18.56% | 2,243,960 |

## Combined statistical areas

The following table provides the in-state population ranking of each CSA along with its rate of population change over time.
The four combined statistical areas of the State of South Carolina :
| 2023 rank | Combined statistical area | Population | Population | Population | Population | Population |
| 2023 rank | Combined statistical area | 2023 estimate | Change | 2020 Census | Change | 2010 Census |
| 1 | Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA | 1,590,636 | +5.21% | 1,511,905 | +11.00% | 1,362,073 |
| 2 | Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC CSA | 1,084,112 | +2.57% | 1,056,968 | +5.16% | 1,005,063 |
| 3 | Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC CSA | 463,209 | +11.77% | 414,433 | +25.80% | 329,449 |
| 4 | Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA (SC) | 438,761 | +6.91% | 410,400 | +22.19% | 335,865 |
| | Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC CSA | 3,387,115 | +4.79% | 3,232,206 | +14.90% | 2,813,116 |