South Carolina counties by area
Official, comparable measurements for 46 counties and county equivalents.
Understanding South Carolina’s county areas
The land-area range runs from McCormick County at 358.9 mi² to Horry County at 1,133.1 mi². The largest has 3.2 times the land area of the smallest and accounts for 3.8% of the combined county land in South Carolina.
The median county-equivalent land area is 616.9 mi², above the national median of 604.5 mi². The median describes the middle of the county size distribution; it does not describe how people or development are distributed. A state with a few very large counties can have a much smaller median than its largest entry suggests.
Where water changes the picture
Charleston County has the most assigned water area, at 448.6 mi². Beaufort County has the highest water share, with water making up 37.6% of its total area. Water area and water percentage answer different questions: the first measures an amount, while the second measures the mix of land and water.
Across all 46 entries, water accounts for 6.1% of the combined total area. This is calculated from the summed land and water measurements, rather than averaging county percentages, which would give each small and large county equal weight.
Compare the largest and smallest county equivalents in South Carolina to see land, water, and total area on the same scale.
These calculations use the 2026 Census county records listed below. County-equivalent boundaries vary between states; area alone does not measure population, density, or usable land. See coverage and calculation rules.
Complete area table
Sorted from largest to smallest land area.
| # | County / equivalent | Land | Water | Water share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horry CountyGEOID 45051 | 1,133.1 mi² | 121.7 mi² | 9.7% |
| 2 | Orangeburg CountyGEOID 45075 | 1,106.4 mi² | 21.5 mi² | 1.9% |
| 3 | Berkeley CountyGEOID 45015 | 1,103.6 mi² | 130.9 mi² | 10.6% |
| 4 | Aiken CountyGEOID 45003 | 1,070.7 mi² | 9.5 mi² | 0.9% |
| 5 | Colleton CountyGEOID 45029 | 1,056.5 mi² | 76 mi² | 6.7% |
| 6 | Williamsburg CountyGEOID 45089 | 934.2 mi² | 2.9 mi² | 0.3% |
| 7 | Charleston CountyGEOID 45019 | 918.3 mi² | 448.6 mi² | 32.8% |
| 8 | Georgetown CountyGEOID 45043 | 813.6 mi² | 212.6 mi² | 20.7% |
| 9 | Spartanburg CountyGEOID 45083 | 808.4 mi² | 11.4 mi² | 1.4% |
| 10 | Florence CountyGEOID 45041 | 800.5 mi² | 3.8 mi² | 0.5% |
| 11 | Chesterfield CountyGEOID 45025 | 799 mi² | 6.7 mi² | 0.8% |
| 12 | Greenville CountyGEOID 45045 | 785.9 mi² | 9.6 mi² | 1.2% |
| 13 | Richland CountyGEOID 45079 | 757.3 mi² | 14.7 mi² | 1.9% |
| 14 | Kershaw CountyGEOID 45055 | 726.6 mi² | 13.6 mi² | 1.8% |
| 15 | Anderson CountyGEOID 45007 | 713.9 mi² | 41.9 mi² | 5.5% |
| 16 | Laurens CountyGEOID 45059 | 712.9 mi² | 10.1 mi² | 1.4% |
| 17 | Lexington CountyGEOID 45063 | 698.5 mi² | 58.5 mi² | 7.7% |
| 18 | Fairfield CountyGEOID 45039 | 686.3 mi² | 23.6 mi² | 3.3% |
| 19 | York CountyGEOID 45091 | 680.6 mi² | 15.1 mi² | 2.2% |
| 20 | Sumter CountyGEOID 45085 | 665.1 mi² | 17 mi² | 2.5% |
| 21 | Jasper CountyGEOID 45053 | 655.2 mi² | 46.4 mi² | 6.6% |
| 22 | Newberry CountyGEOID 45071 | 630.3 mi² | 17 mi² | 2.6% |
| 23 | Oconee CountyGEOID 45073 | 626.6 mi² | 47 mi² | 7% |
| 24 | Clarendon CountyGEOID 45027 | 607.2 mi² | 88.5 mi² | 12.7% |
| 25 | Chester CountyGEOID 45023 | 580.9 mi² | 5.6 mi² | 1% |
| 26 | Beaufort CountyGEOID 45013 | 576 mi² | 347.5 mi² | 37.6% |
| 27 | Dorchester CountyGEOID 45035 | 568.4 mi² | 2.6 mi² | 0.5% |
| 28 | Darlington CountyGEOID 45031 | 560.6 mi² | 5.6 mi² | 1% |
| 29 | Hampton CountyGEOID 45049 | 560 mi² | 2.7 mi² | 0.5% |
| 30 | Lancaster CountyGEOID 45057 | 549.2 mi² | 6.1 mi² | 1.1% |
| 31 | Barnwell CountyGEOID 45011 | 548.4 mi² | 8.9 mi² | 1.6% |
| 32 | Union CountyGEOID 45087 | 513.6 mi² | 1.7 mi² | 0.3% |
| 33 | Edgefield CountyGEOID 45037 | 500.7 mi² | 6.3 mi² | 1.2% |
| 34 | Pickens CountyGEOID 45077 | 497 mi² | 15.8 mi² | 3.1% |
| 35 | Abbeville CountyGEOID 45001 | 491.2 mi² | 20.5 mi² | 4% |
| 36 | Marion CountyGEOID 45067 | 489.4 mi² | 4.8 mi² | 1% |
| 37 | Marlboro CountyGEOID 45069 | 479.9 mi² | 5.6 mi² | 1.2% |
| 38 | Greenwood CountyGEOID 45047 | 455.6 mi² | 8.2 mi² | 1.8% |
| 39 | Saluda CountyGEOID 45081 | 453.2 mi² | 8.9 mi² | 1.9% |
| 40 | Lee CountyGEOID 45061 | 410.2 mi² | 1 mi² | 0.3% |
| 41 | Allendale CountyGEOID 45005 | 408.1 mi² | 4.3 mi² | 1% |
| 42 | Dillon CountyGEOID 45033 | 405.1 mi² | 1.7 mi² | 0.4% |
| 43 | Bamberg CountyGEOID 45009 | 393.4 mi² | 2.2 mi² | 0.6% |
| 44 | Cherokee CountyGEOID 45021 | 393 mi² | 4.6 mi² | 1.1% |
| 45 | Calhoun CountyGEOID 45017 | 381.1 mi² | 11.3 mi² | 2.9% |
| 46 | McCormick CountyGEOID 45065 | 358.9 mi² | 34.8 mi² | 8.8% |