The map above shows Kentucky and South Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while South Carolina has 30,064 square miles (77,866 km²).
- Kentucky's land area is 1.3 times (31%) larger than South Carolina's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs South Carolina: 32,024 square miles (82,940 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kentucky's total area is 1.3 times (26%) larger than South Carolina's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; South Carolina is 236 miles (380 km).
- Kentucky's north-south length is 1.1 times (9%) longer than South Carolina's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; South Carolina spans 279 miles (449 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 1.5 times (50%) wider than South Carolina's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); South Carolina's is Sassafras Mountain at 3,497 feet (1,066 m).
- Black Mountain is 637 feet higher than Sassafras Mountain.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; South Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- South Carolina's lowest point is 270 feet lower.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while South Carolina has 5,478,831 (2024).
- South Carolina's population is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Kentucky's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs South Carolina: 182.2.
- South Carolina's population density is 1.6 times (57%) higher than Kentucky's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; South Carolina's is Charleston with 157,665.
- Louisville's population is 4.1 times (306%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs South Carolina's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's population is 1.3 times (25%) larger than Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- South Carolina: Admitted to the Union on May 23, 1788, as the 8th state.
- In its current form, South Carolina is the older of the two by 4 years.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs South Carolina's $357.1 billion.
- South Carolina's economic output is 1.2 times (21%) larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs South Carolina: $65,173.
- Kentucky and South Carolina have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs South Carolina: $60,776 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Kentucky and South Carolina have about the same average income.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while South Carolina has 46.
- Kentucky's county count is 2.6 times (161%) higher than South Carolina's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; South Carolina's is Horry County at 1,133 square miles.
- Horry County's land area is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs South Carolina: McCormick County (359 sq mi).
- McCormick County's land area is 3.7 times (265%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs South Carolina: Greenville County (570,745 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 1.4 times (39%) larger than Greenville County's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs South Carolina: Allendale County (7,551 people).
- Allendale County's population is 3.2 times (217%) larger than Robertson County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Charleston County ($90,550).
- Oldham County and Charleston County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Marlboro County ($41,332).
- Marlboro County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Elliott County's.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while South Carolina has a top income tax rate of 6%.
- South Carolina's top rate is 2.5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs South Carolina: 0.45% of home value per year.
- Kentucky's rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs South Carolina: 7.49%.
- South Carolina's combined rate is 1.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · South Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All South Carolina size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.