South Carolina

South Carolina(/ˌkærəˈlaɪnə/KARR-ə-LY-nə) is astatein theSoutheasternregion of theUnited States. It bordersNorth Carolinato the north and northeast, theAtlantic Oceanto the southeast, andGeorgiato the west and south across theSavannah River. Along with North Carolina, it makes up theCarolinasregion of theEast Coast. South Carolina is the40th-largestand23rd-most populous U.S. statewith a recorded population of 5,118,425 according to the2020 census.In 2019, its GDP was $213.45 billion. South Carolina is composed of46 counties. The capital isColumbiawith a population of 136,632 in 2020;while itsmost populous cityisCharlestonwith a 2020 population of 150,227.TheGreenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Areais the most populouscombined metropolitan areain the state, with an estimated 2023 population of 1,590,636.
South Carolina was named in honor of KingCharles I of England, who first formed the English colony, withCarolusbeing Latin for "Charles".In 1712 theProvince of South Carolinawas formed. One of the originalThirteen Colonies, South Carolina became aroyal colonyin 1719. During theAmerican 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.South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify theU.S. Constitutionon May 23, 1788. Aslave state, it was the first state to vote in favor of secession from theUnionon 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 manytextile millsandfactorieswere built across the state. Thecivil rights movementof the mid-20th century helped end segregation and legal discrimination policies within the state.Economic diversificationin South Carolina continued to pick up speed during and in the ensuing decades afterWorld War II. In the early 21st century,South Carolina's economyis based on industries such asaerospace,agribusiness,automotive manufacturing, and tourism.
Within South Carolina from east to west are three main geographic regions, theAtlantic coastal plain, thePiedmont, and theBlue Ridge Mountainsin the northwestern corner ofUpstate South Carolina. South Carolina has primarily ahumid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Areas in the Upstate have asubtropical highland climate. Along South Carolina's eastern coastal plain are manysalt marshesandestuaries. South Carolina's southeasternLowcountrycontains portions of theSea Islands, a chain ofbarrier islandsalong the Atlantic Ocean.
There is evidence of human activities in the area dating to about 50,000 years ago.At the time Europeans arrived, marking the endPre-Columbian eraaround 1600, there were many separate Native American tribes, the largest being theCherokeeand theCatawba, with a total population being up to 20,000.
Up the rivers of the eastern coastal plain lived about a dozen tribes ofSiouanbackground. Along theSavannah Riverwere theApalachee,Yuchi, and theYamasee. Further west were the Cherokee, and along theCatawba River, the Catawba. These tribes were village-dwellers, relying on agriculture as their primary food source.The Cherokee lived inwattle and daubhouses made with wood and clay, roofed with wood orthatchedgrass.
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 50 miles (80 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 likeEdisto Island,Kiawah Island, and theAshepoo River.
The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area. From June 24 to July 14, 1521, they explored the land aroundWinyah Bay. On October 8, 1526, they foundedSan Miguel de Gualdape, near present-dayGeorgetown, South Carolina. It was the first European settlement in what is now thecontiguous United States. Established with five hundred settlers, it was abandoned eight months later by one hundred and fifty survivors. In 1540,Hernando de Sotoexplored the region and the main town ofCofitachequi, where he captured the queen of theMaskoki(Muscogee) and theChelaque(Cherokee) who had welcomed him.
In 1562 FrenchHuguenotsestablished a settlement at what is now theCharlesfort-Santa Elenaarchaeological site onParris Island. Many of these settlers preferred a natural life far from civilization and the atrocities of theWars of Religion. The garrison lacked supplies, however, and the soldiers (as in theFrance Antarctique) soon ran away. The French returned two years later but settled in present-day Florida rather than South Carolina.
Sixty years later, in 1629, KingCharles I of Englandestablished the province ofCarolana, an area covering what is now South andNorth Carolina,GeorgiaandTennessee. Carolana was granted toSir Robert Heath, who intended to allow FrenchHuguenotsto settle there; however, King Charles refused to grant permission to settle to anyone who was not a member of theAnglican Church, leading to the failure of the colony. In 1663, KingCharles IIcreated theProvince of Carolinaby granting the same land to eightLords Proprietorsin return for their financial and political assistance inrestoringhim to the throne in 1660.Anthony Ashley Cooper, one of the Lord Proprietors, planned theGrand Model for the Province of Carolinaand wrote theFundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which laid the basis for the future colony.Hisutopiawas inspired byJohn 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,was the largest among the British colonies in North America.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.Additional enslaved Native Americans were exported from South Carolina to other U.S. colonies.The historianAlan Gallaysays, "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".
In the 1670s, English planters from Barbados established themselves near what is now Charleston. Settlers from all over Europe built rice plantations in theSouth Carolina Lowcountry, east of theAtlantic Seaboard fall line. Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720.Another cash crop was theindigo plant, a plant source of blue dye, developed byEliza 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 formerProvince of Carolinasplit into North and South Carolina. In 1719, South Carolina was officially made aroyal colony.
South Carolina prospered from the fertility of the lowcountry and the harbors, such as atCharleston. 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 theThirteen Colonies.
On March 26, 1776, the colony adopted theConstitution of South Carolina,electingJohn Rutledgeas the state's first president. In February 1778, South Carolina became the first state to ratify theArticles of Confederation,the initial governing document of the United States, and in May 1788, South Carolina ratified theUnited States Constitution, becoming the eighth state to enter the union.
During theAmerican Revolutionary War(1775–1783), about a third of combat action took place in South Carolina,more than any other state.Inhabitants of the state endured being invaded by British forces and an ongoing civil war between loyalists and partisans that devastated the backcountry.It is estimated 25,000 slaves (30% of those in South Carolina) fled, migrated or died during the war.
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,the latter being the country's fifth largest city.
In the Antebellum period (before the Civil War) the state's economy and population grew. Cotton became an important crop after the invention of thecotton 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.
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 theSantee Canalin 1800, one of the first canals in the United States.
As dissatisfaction of the planters ruling class with the federal government grew, in the 1820sJohn C. Calhounbecame a leading proponent ofstates' rights,limited government,nullification of the U.S. Constitution, andfree trade. In 1832, theOrdinance of Nullificationdeclared federal tariff laws unconstitutional and not to be enforced in the state, leading to theNullification Crisis. The federalForce Billwas 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
In theUnited States presidential election of 1860, voting was sharply divided, with the South voting for theSouthern Democratsand the North forAbraham Lincoln'sRepublican Party. Lincoln was anti-slavery, did not acknowledge the right tosecession, 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.
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",and within weeks South Carolina became the first state tosecede.
On April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries began shelling the UnionFort Sumterin Charleston Harbor, and theAmerican Civil Warbegan. In November of that year, the Union attackedPort Royal Soundand soon occupiedBeaufort Countyand the neighboringSea Islands. For the rest of the war, this area served as a Union base and staging point for other operations. Whites abandoned their plantations,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 thePort Royal Experiment. Workers were paid by the pound harvested and thus became the first enslaved people freed by the Union forces to earn wages.
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,with the state losing an estimated 18,000 troops.Though no regiments ofSouthern Unionistswere formed in South Carolina due to a smaller unionist presence, theUpstateregion 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.At the end of the war in early 1865, the troops of GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Shermanmarched across the state devastating plantations and most of Columbia. South Carolina would be readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868.
InTexas 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 the1868 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.On October 19, 1871, PresidentUlysses S. Grantsuspendedhabeas corpusin nine South Carolina counties under the authority of theKu Klux Klan Act.Led by Grant's Attorney GeneralAmos T. Akerman, hundreds of Klansmen were arrested while 2,000 Klansmen fled the state.This was done to suppress Klan violence against African-American and white voters in the South.In the mid-to-late 1870s, white Democrats used paramilitary groups such as theRed Shirtsto intimidate and terrorize black voters. They regained political control of the state under conservative white "Redeemers" and pro-businessBourbon Democrats. In 1877, the federal government withdrew its troops as part of theCompromise of 1877that ended Reconstruction.
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 effectivelydisenfranchisedalmost all blacks and many poor whites by new requirements forpoll taxes, residency, andliteracy teststhat 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.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 theJim Crowsociety.
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.
Governor"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 aone-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:
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.
Early in the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thrivingtextile industry. The state also converted its main agricultural base from cotton, to more profitable crops. It would attract largemilitary basesduringWorld War I, through its majority Democratic congressional delegation, part of the one-partySolid Southfollowing disfranchisement of blacks.
In the late 19th century, South Carolina would implementJim Crow lawswhich enforcedracial segregationpolicies 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 million blacks left the South in theGreat Migration. By 1930, South Carolina had a white majority population for the first time since 1708.South Carolina was one of several states that initially rejected theNineteenth Amendment(1920) giving women the right to vote. The South Carolina legislature later ratified the amendment on July 1, 1969.
The struggle of thecivil rights movementtook 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.This tranquil transition from aJim Crowsociety 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.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 asMyrtle BeachandCharleston.
As the 21st century progresses, South Carolina has attracted new business by having a 5%corporate income taxrate, no stateproperty tax, no local income tax, no inventory tax, nosales taxon manufacturing equipment, industrial power or materials for finished products; no wholesale tax, and no unitary tax on worldwide profits.
South Carolina was one of the first states to stop paying for "early elective" deliveries ofbabies, under eitherMedicaidand private insurance.The term early elective is defined as alabor inductionorCesarean sectionbetween 37 and 39 weeks. The change was intended to result in healthierbabiesand fewer costs for the state of South Carolina.
On November 20, 2014, South Carolina became the 35th state to legalizesame-sex marriages, when a federal court ordered the change.
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 inNevadaat 61.9%).
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 theAtlantic coastal plain, thePiedmont, and theBlue Ridge Mountains. Culturally, the coastal plain is split into theLowcountryand thePee Deeregion. While, the upperPiedmontregion 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 theUpstate.The Atlantic Coastal Plain makes up two-thirds of the state. Its eastern border is theSea Islands, a chain of tidal andbarrier islands. The border between the lowcountry and the upcountry is defined by theAtlantic Seaboard fall line, which marks the limit of navigable rivers.
Altogether, the state has a total area of 32,020.49 square miles (82,932.7 km), of which 30,060.70 square miles (77,856.9 km) is land and 1,959.79 square miles (5,075.8 km) (6.12%) is water.
The AtlanticCoastal plainconsists 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 namedCarolina bays. The bays tend to be oval, lining up in a northwest to southeast orientation. The eastern portion of the coastal plain contains manysalt marshesandestuaries, as well as natural ports such asGeorgetownandCharleston. Thenaturalareas of the coastal plain are part of theMiddle Atlantic coastal forestsecoregion.
TheSandhillsor Carolina Sandhills is a 10–35 mi (16–56 km) wide region within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, along theinlandmargin 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.
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 inloblolly pinefor the lumber industry. These forests are part of theSoutheastern mixed forestsecoregion.At the southeastern edge of Piedmont is thefall 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. 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. TheCherokee Parkwayis a scenic driving route through this area. This is whereTable Rock State Parkis located.
The Blue Ridge consists primarily of Precambrian metamorphic rocks, and the landscape has relatively high relief. The Blue Ridge Region contains anescarpmentof theBlue Ridge Mountainsthat continues intoNorth CarolinaandGeorgiaas part of the southernAppalachian Mountains.Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest point at 3,560 feet (1,090 m), is in this area.Also in this area isCaesars Head State Park. The environment here is that of theAppalachian-Blue Ridge forestsecoregion.TheChattooga River, on the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is a favoritewhitewater raftingdestination.
South Carolina has several major lakes covering over 683 square miles (1,770 km). All major lakes in South Carolina are human-made. The following are the lakes listed by size.
South Carolina is the most seismically active state on theEast Coast.Between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, there were 74 recorded earthquakes in South Carolina,six of which exceeded a 3 magnitude.In 2021 and 2022, most of which were concentrated inKershaw Countyand the coastal area ofCharleston.The Charleston area demonstrates the greatest frequency of earthquakes in South Carolina. South Carolina averages 10–15 earthquakes a year below magnitude3 (FEMA). TheCharleston earthquake of 1886was 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.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.
South Carolina has ahumid subtropical climate(Köppen climate classificationCfa), 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 86–93 °F (30–34 °C) in most of the state and overnight lows averaging 70–75 °F (21–24 °C) on the coast and from 66–73 °F (19–23 °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 60 °F (16 °C) and overnight lows around 40 °F (5–8 °C).
Inland, the average January overnight low is around 32 °F (0 °C) 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 113 °F (45 °C) inJohnstonand Columbia on June 29, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature is −19 °F (−28 °C) atCaesars Headon 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 ofthunderstormactivity a year. This is less than some of the states further south, and it is slightly less vulnerable totornadoesthan the states which border on theGulf of Mexico. Some notable tornadoes have struck South Carolina, and the state averages around 14 tornadoes annually.Hailis 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.
The state is occasionally affected bytropical cyclones. This is an annual concern during hurricane season, which lasts from June1 to November 30. The peak time of vulnerability for the southeast Atlantic coast is from early August to early October, during theCape Verde hurricaneseason. Memorablehurricanesto hit South Carolina includeHazel(1954),Hugo(1989), andFlorence(2018).
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.
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.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.These forests are endangered by logging for agriculture and development.
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.South Carolina is home to many shorebirds including varioussandpipersandibises.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.
The following tables show the majormetropolitanandcombined statistical areasof South Carolina. Some statistical areas of South Carolina overlap with neighboring states of North Carolina and Georgia.
The 2020 census determined the state had a population of 5,118,425, a 10.7% percentage increase since the 2010 census.
According toHUD's 2022Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 3,608homelesspeople in South Carolina.
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.
At the 2019censusestimate, 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.Immigrationfrom outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,401 people, andmigrationwithin the country produced a net increase of 115,084 people. According to theUniversity 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.South Carolina has bannedsanctuary cities.
The top countries of origin for South Carolina's immigrants wereMexico,India,Germany,Hondurasand thePhilippines, as of 2018.
Enslaved Africans were brought to the state during theslave trade.There is also aGullahcommunity in South Carolina.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.
Historical South Carolina racial breakdown of population
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.
According to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives(ARDA), in 2010, the largest religion is Christianity, of which the largest denominations were theSouthern Baptist Conventionwith 913,763 adherents, theUnited Methodist Churchwith 274,111 adherents, and theRoman Catholic Churchwith 181,743 adherents. Fourth-largest is theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Churchwith 564 congregations and 121,000 members and fifth-largest is thePresbyterian Church (USA)with 320 congregations and almost 100,000 members.As of 2010, South Carolina was the American state with the highest per capita proportion of citizens who follow theBaháʼí Faith, with 17,559 adherents,making Baháʼí the second-largest religion in the state at the time.
According to thePublic Religion Research Institutein 2020, Christianity remained the largest religion at approximately 74% of the population.Among the Christian population,evangelical Protestantismremained 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/interdenominational Protestantsincreased to 454,063 adherents.
Outside of Christianity, ARDA's 2020 study reported 6,677Muslimsin the state, and 830Orthodox Jews;Reform Judaismconsisted of 3,430 adherents. Altogether,Hinduismhad 8,383 adherents.
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, althoughNew Agersconstituted 3% of the state. Judaism was 1% of the total population.
In 2019, South Carolina's GDP was $249.9 billion, making the state the 26th largest by GDP in the United States.According to the U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis, South Carolina'sgross state product(GSP) was $97 billion in 1997 and $153 billion in 2007. Its per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) inchained 2000 dollarswas $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.
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.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.
Many large corporations have moved their locations to South Carolina.Boeingopened an aircraft manufacturing facility atCharleston International Airportin 2011, which serves as one of two final assembly sites for the787 Dreamliner. South Carolina is a right-to-work stateand many businesses use staffing agencies to temporarily fill positions.Domtar, in Rock Hill, used to be the onlyFortune 500company headquartered in South Carolina, but it was later moved into theFortune 1000list.The three Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the state are Domtar,Sonoco Products, and ScanSource.
South Carolina also benefits from foreign investment. There are 1,950 foreign-owned firms operating in South Carolina employing almost 135,000 people.Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) brought 1.06 billion dollars to the state economy in 2010.Since 1994,BMWhas had a production facility in Spartanburg County near Greer and since 1996 theZapp Groupoperates in Summerville near Charleston.
The state has the fourth largest state-maintained highway system in the country, consisting of 11Interstates,numbered highways,state highways, and secondary roads, totalling approximately 41,500 miles (66,800 km).
On secondary roads, South Carolina uses a numbering system to keep track of all non-interstate and primary highways that theSouth Carolina Department of Transportationmaintains. Secondary roads are numbered by the number of the county followed by a unique number for the particular road.
CSX TransportationandNorfolk Southernare the only Class I railroad companies in South Carolina, as other freight companies in the state are short lines.
Amtrakoperates four passenger routes in South Carolina: theCrescent, thePalmetto, theSilver Meteor, and theSilver Star. TheCrescentroute serves the Upstate cities, theSilver Starserves the Midlands cities, and thePalmettoandSilver Meteorroutes serve the lowcountry cities.
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.Just across the border in North Carolina isCharlotte/Douglas International Airport, the 30th busiest airport in the world, in terms of passengers.
South Carolina has 1,167 K–12 schools in 79 school districts with an enrollment of 751,660 as of 2022.In 2022, South Carolina spent $11,747 per public school student.
In 2023, the average SAT score in South Carolina was 1028, in line with the national average.
South Carolina does not currently implementCommon Corein schools, having repealed the standards in 2014.
In 2014, theSouth Carolina Supreme Courtruled 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.
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.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.On January 5, 2017, theU.S. Environmental Protection Agencyawarded South Carolina more than $1.1 million to replace 57 school buses with new cleaner models through itsDiesel Emissions Reduction Actprogram.
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.)
For overall health care, South Carolina is ranked 37th out of the 50 states in 2022, according toThe Commonwealth Fund, a private health foundation working to improve the health care system.The state's teen birth rate was 53 births per 1,000 teens, compared to the national average of 41.9 births, according to theKaiser Family Foundation.The state'sinfant mortality ratewas 9.4 deaths per 1,000 births compared to the national average of 6.9 deaths.
There were 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people compared to the national average of 3.2 physicians.There was $5,114 spent on health expenses per capita in the state, compared to the national average of $5,283.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.There were 34 percent of children that wereoverweightorobese, compared to the national average of 32 percent.
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 areThe Charleston Chronicle,Greenville News,The Post and Courier,The State, andThe Sun News.
South Carolina'sstate governmentconsists of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  Thegovernor of South Carolinaheads the executive branch; theSouth Carolina General Assemblyheads the legislative branch; and theSouth Carolina Supreme Courtheads the judicial branch.
South Carolina is a largely conservative state. Since theDeclaration of Independence, South Carolina's politics have been controlled by three main parties: theDemocratic-Republican Partyin the early 1800s, theDemocratic Partythrough most of the 19th and 20th centuries, and theRepublican Partyin the 21st century. Since the mid-1990s, theSouth Carolina General Assemblyhas been controlled by the Republican party, and currently, eight of nine statewide offices are held by Republican officeholders and one by a Democratic officeholder.
At the federal level, South Carolina has voted Republican in every presidential election since the1976 election of Jimmy Carter.Both of South Carolina'ssenatorsare Republican. The most-recent Democratic senator to serve wasFritz Hollings, who left office in 2005. South Carolina has seven representatives in theUnited States House of Representatives, six of whom are Republican.
As of November 8, 2022, there were 3,740,743 registered voters.In a 2020 study, South Carolina was ranked by theElection Law Journalas the 7th hardest state for citizens to vote in.South Carolina retains thedeath penalty. Authorized methods of execution include byelectric chairor firing squad.
An April 2023Winthrop Universitypoll found that an overwhelming majority of South Carolinians supported legalizingmedical marijuanaand believed that aseparation between church and statewas "critical". A large majority were also found to supportsame-sex marriage, legalizedrecreational marijuanaandsports gambling, along with anindependent commissionsystem forcongressional redistricting.
South Carolina has many venues for visual and performing arts. TheGibbes Museum of Artin Charleston, theGreenville County Museum of Art, theColumbia Museum of Art, Spartanburg Art Museum, and theSouth Carolina State Museumin 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 thePeace Centerin Greenville, theKoger Center for the Artsin Columbia, and theNewberry Opera House, among others to bring local, national, and international talent to the stages of South Carolina. Several large venues can house major events, includingColonial Life Arenain Columbia,Bon Secours Wellness Arenain Greenville, andNorth 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 billion annually and support over 78,000 jobs in the state.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.
Although no major league professional sports teams are based in South Carolina, theCarolina Panthershave training facilities in the state and played their inaugural season's home games at Clemson'sMemorial Stadiumin 1995. They now play atBank of America StadiuminCharlotte, 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 forfootball, basketball and baseball attendance in the state. South Carolina is also a top destination for golf andwater sports.
South Carolina is also home to one ofNASCAR's first tracks and its first paved speedway,Darlington Raceway, located northwest ofFlorence.
34°N81°W﻿ / ﻿34°N 81°W﻿ /34; -81﻿ (State of South Carolina)