State of the United States

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state of the United States. It covers about 80,200 km² (31,000 mi²), the 40th largest of the 51 states and districts in Natural Earth’s file for the United States, and about the same size as Czechia. About 5.1 million people live there (Wikidata, 2020).

In area1.02×the size ofCzechia78,800 km² In people1.00×as many people asNicaragua5.1 million

100 km

South Carolina
Czechia

Facts

Area, measured	80,200 km²31,000 mi²
Official area	82,900 km²Wikidata · 3.3% above our measure
Share of the United States	0.8%of the area of the 51 states and districts
Rank by area	40th of 51states and districts of the United States
Population	5.1 millionWikidata, 2020 · the census year of every unit
Density	64 people per km²
Capital	Columbia
Latitude range	32°N to 35°N
Type	StateUS-SC

What the numbers say about South Carolina

South Carolina covers 0.8% of the area of the United States and ranks 23rd of 51 by population, against 40th by area.
It would take 118 states and districts the size of South Carolina to cover the United States.
South Carolina holds 1.5% of the 331.4 million people that Wikidata’s 2020 figures give for the 51 states and districts together: about 1 in 65.
The largest, Alaska, is 18.8× the size of South Carolina; the smallest, Washington, D.C., is 0.2% of it.
Closest in size within the United States: Maine (84,300 km², 1.05×) and Indiana (94,300 km², 1.18×).
Counted as a country, South Carolina would be larger than 124 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 116th by area, between Austria (84,000 km²) and Czechia (78,800 km²).
With 5.1 million people it would rank 125th of 238 by population.
South Carolina has 64 people per km², about the density of Afghanistan, which has 65 per km².
That makes South Carolina the 19th most densely populated of the 51 states and districts, 1.82× the average for the United States (35 per km²).
On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 34°N is drawn about 1.5× too large in area, so South Carolina looks bigger there than it is.
Laid out flat, South Carolina stretches about 355 km north to south and 439 km east to west.
Our measured 80,200 km² is 3.3% below Wikidata's official figure of 82,900 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently.

About the same size as

About as many people as

Beside the regions of other countries

The closest region by area and by people in each of the other countries that have regional pages here, within a factor of 2. All 395 regions side by side.

Where South Carolina ranks

South Carolina is the 40th largest of the 51 states and districts of the United States.

Ranked within the United States

All 51 states and districts of the United States, matched to countries

Compare South Carolina

Sources and method

Outline: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outline, shown rounded. The region’s whole area is counted, every island included.
Official figures: Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-12
Population: Wikidata, 2020. United States’s units share the 2020 figures where Wikidata has them; the year is shown wherever the figure is.
Matching: Countries come from Natural Earth’s country file. Places whose status is contested and dependencies are never used as automatic matches. A region under 2,500 km² is matched against the small countries and island nations.
Data built: 2026-11-12

Full method