South Carolina Information and Facts

Official Website: http://www.myscgov.com/

Income

The population of South Carolina in 2002 was 4,103,770. Its rank was 25th in the nation. (The District of Columbia is included for ranking purposes.)

Per Capita Personal Income

In 2002 South Carolina had a per capita personal income of $25,502. This per capita personal income ranked 42nd in the United States and was 83 percent of the national average, $30,906. The 2002 per capita personal income reflected an increase of 1.7 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.2 percent. In 1992 the per capita personal income of South Carolina was $16,953 and ranked 44th in the United States. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of per capita personal income was 4.2 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 4.0 percent.

Total Personal Income

In 2002 South Carolina had a total personal income of $104,652,843. This total personal income ranked 26th in the United States. In 1992 the total personal income of South Carolina was $61,377,018 and ranked 27th in the United States. The 2002 total personal income reflected an increase of 2.8 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 2.3 percent. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of total personal income was 5.5 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.2 percent.

Components of Personal Income

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and total personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of South Carolina. In 2002 net earnings accounted for 65.6 percent of total personal income (compared with 68.2 in 1992); dividends, interest, and rent were 16.9 percent (compared with 16.9 in 1992); and personal current transfer receipts were 17.5 percent (compared with 14.9 in 1992). From 2001 to 2002 net earnings increased 1.9 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 1.1 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 8.6 percent. From 1992 to 2002 net earnings increased on average 5.1 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 5.4 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 7.2 percent.

Employment Earnings

Earnings of persons employed in South Carolina increased from $74,372,599 in 2001 to $75,968,101 in 2002, an increase of 2.1 percent. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.5 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1992 estimate of $46,670,730 to the 2002 estimate was 5.0 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.3 percent.

Area - South Carolina ranks 40th in size among the states, with an area of 80,779 sq km (31,189 sq mi), including 2606 sq km (1006 sq mi) of inland water and 186 sq km (72 sq mi) of coastal waters over which it has jurisdiction. The maximum distance, from east to west, is 439 km (273 mi) and its maximum extent north to south is 352 km (219 mi). The state's mean elevation is about 110 m (about 350 ft).

Climate - South Carolina's climate is characterized by hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant and fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The subtropical climate found in most of the state arises from the combination of the state's relatively low latitude, its generally low elevation, the proximity of the warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, and the Appalachian Mountains, which in winter help to screen out cold air from the interior of the continent. Average January temperatures range from less than 4° C (40° F) in the extreme northwestern part of the state to more than 10° C (50° F) in the southern coastal areas. The average temperature range in centrally located Columbia is 0° to 13° C (32° to 55° F) in January. Brief spells of cold weather, with temperatures of -7º C (20° F) or lower, occur each winter. July temperatures average about 27° C (about 80° F) in most of the state, with temperatures in the lower 20°s C (lower 70°s F) in the mountains. Except in the mountains, summer daytime highs throughout South Carolina often enter the lower 30°s C (lower 90°s F). The temperature in July in Columbia ranges from 21° to 33° C (70° to 92° F). Central South Carolina has an average annual precipitation (both rainfall and snowfall) of about 1140 mm (about 45 in). Greater amounts fall along the seaboard, which regularly receives more than 1220 mm (48 in) a year, and in the mountains of the northwest, where more than 1780 mm (70 in) can be expected. Nearly all precipitation falls as rain, and more than half is received during the spring and summer months. Snow usually occurs only in the mountains and upper Piedmont.

State Flag

State Flower - Yellow Jessamine

State Capitol - Columbia
South Carolina has had seven state constitutions altogether, adopted successively in 1776, 1778, 1790, 1861, 1865, 1868, and 1895. The constitution of 1895 is still the state's basic governing document, although it has been amended many times and underwent an exhaustive review in the 1960s. Constitutional amendments may be proposed by a two-thirds majority in each house of the state legislature or by constitutional conventions. To be adopted, amendments must be approved by a majority of those voting on the amendments in a general election and must then be approved by a majority vote in each house of the state legislature chosen at the same election.

Famous People

Althea Gibson tennis champion, Silver
Andrew Jackson U.S. president, Waxhaw
Charlayne Hunter-Gault journalist, Due West
Charles Hard Townes physicist, Greenville
Dizzy Gillespie jazz trumpeter, Cheraw
DuBose Heyward poet, playwright, author, Charleston
Eartha Kitt singer, North
Francis Swamp Fox Marion general, Berkeley County
James Godfather Brown singer, Barnwell
Jesse Louis Jackson civil rights leader, Greenville
Joe Frazier prize fighter, Beaufort
John C. Calhoun statesman, Calhoun Mills
John Rutledge jurist, Charleston
Joseph H. Burckhalter inventor, Columbia
Mary McLeod Bethune educator, Mayesville
Robert Evander McNair governor, Cades
Ronald McNair astronaut, Lake City
Strom Thurmond politician, Edgefield
Vanna White TV personality, North Myrtle Beach
Whispering Bill Anderson songwriter, Columbia
William Westmoreland army chief of staff, Spartanburg